ingratiate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 13, 2009 is: ingratiate • \in-GRAY-shee-ayt\ • verb : to gain favor or favorable acceptance for by deliberate effort -- usually used with "with" Examples: Even though the candidate is doing everything he can to ingratiate himself with voters, he still finds himself trailing in the polls. Did you know? Seventeenth-century English speakers combined the Latin noun "gratia," meaning "grace" or "favor," with the English prefix "in-" to create the verb "ingratiate." When you ingratiate yourself, you are putting yourself in someone's good graces to gain their approval or favor. English words related to "ingratiate" include "gratis" and "gratuity." Both of these reflect something done or given as a favor through the good graces of the giver. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.