deprecate
to express disapproval of or argue against
Roots
- de-: down, away, reversal, reduction, or removal
- prex / prayer: prayer, asking, favor, or entreaty
Other words with the prex / prayer root
- prayer: a request or act of asking for help
- precarious: uncertain, risky, or dependent on chance
Deprecate began with praying against something; now it means speak against it or mark it as discouraged.
The committee deprecated the shortcut because it made the result unreliable.
Deprecate is not the same as depreciate. Keep prayer in the background: an old sense of praying something away became the modern sense of disapproving or discouraging it.