militate
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
militate/ˈmɪlɪteɪt/
▶verb (militate against) (of a fact or circumstance) be a powerful or conclusive factor in preventing.
– origin C16: from L. militat-, militare ‘serve as a soldier’, from miles, milit- ‘soldier’.
usage: The verbs militate and mitigate are often confused. See usage at mitigate.
'militate' also found in these Oxford entries:
