Question

Use context clues to determine the meaning of the word depreciate as it is used in “The Gift of the Magi.” Write your definition of depreciate here and tell how you arrived at it. Then check your inferred meaning in a print or digital dictionary.

Answer 1

The word 'depreciate' in “The Gift of the Magi” implies a decrease in value, confirmed by looking it up in a dictionary. It exemplifies the importance of using context clues for understanding and verifying word meanings.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the meaning of the word depreciate as used in “The Gift of the Magi,” one can look at the context around the word. In this famous story, the term depreciate implies a decrease in value or worth of something. Considering the phrase within the narrative, where one character sells a valuable possession, we can infer that depreciate is used to mean that something has diminished in value, either monetarily or in sentimental terms.

Upon checking a dictionary, as suggested for terms you are unsure of, depreciate indeed means to decrease in value over time, which aligns with our contextual interpretation from the story. It's important to verify the meaning of words using reliable sources like the Merriam-Webster dictionary. This practice not only confirms the accurate usage of words but also helps in expanding one's vocabulary.