abêtir

== French == === Etymology === From a- +‎ bête +‎ -ir. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /a.bɛ.tiʁ/ ~ /a.be.tiʁ/ === Verb === abêtir (ambitransitive, ergative) to dumb down, render dumb, dim-witted; to deaden the mind of (reflexive, ergative) to become dim-witted and foolish ==== Usage notes ==== Abrutir is a close synonym, but unlike that term abêtir implies a slower, progressive process, which abrutir does not necessarily do. ==== Conjugation ==== This is a regular verb of the second conjugation, like finir, choisir, and most other verbs with infinitives ending in -ir. One salient feature of this conjugation is the repeated appearance of the infix -iss-. ==== Related terms ==== abêtissant abêtissement === Further reading === “abêtir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 === Anagrams === abrite, abrité