Weekly Word: Titivate

Titivate means “to make decorative additions to”, “to spruce up”. The word has been around for a while, but its origin is unknown. It’s an alteration of tidivate, possibly a combination of the words tidy and renovate or elevate.

It was featured on A.Word.A.Day for the theme “words that seem risque”. Yup, I’ll admit it, the word titivate made me giggle! Similar words include titillate, “to tickle” or “to excite, especially in a superficial, pleasurable manner”, and titubate, “to stumble”.