divest

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 15, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>divest</strong> &#149; \dye-VEST\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p>To <em>divest</em> something valuable, such as property or stocks, is to sell it. Similarly, to <em>divest</em> yourself of something valuable is to sell it or give it away. And if you <em>divest</em> someone or something of something, you take that thing away from them, or otherwise cause them to lose it or give it up.</p> <p>Although somewhat old-fashioned, <em>divest</em> is also sometimes used to mean “to undress or strip especially of clothing, ornament, or equipment.”</p> <p>// We may have to <em>divest</em> certain assets in order to raise the money.</p> <p>// The court's ruling does not <em>divest</em> the family of their ability to use the property.</p> <p>// I suppose it really is time to <em>divest</em> the Christmas tree of its ornaments, and stow it all away.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divest">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“A burgeoning number of institutional investors around the world are placing greater emphasis on ESG [Environmental, Social, and Governance] performance in their decision-making and 74 per cent are now more likely to <em>divest</em> from companies with poor ESG track records.” — Emile Abu-Shakra, <em>EY.com</em>, 3 Nov. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>The <em>vest</em> in <em>divest</em> is a close relation of the kind found in closets—its origin is Latin <em>vestis</em> meaning “clothing, garment.” (<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vest"><em>Vest</em></a> has the same source and first appeared in English as a verb in the 15th century meaning “to put on garments or <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vestment">vestments</a>.”) <em>Divest</em> today mos