Yesterday my seven-year-old asked me the difference between putrefy and petrify. I explained, and then started offering him more words that end in 'ify.' Off the top of my head, I thought of:
amplify, beautify, beatify, codify, certify, classify, clarify, crucify, calcify, disqualify, deify, daintify, diversify, demystify, emulsify, fortify, fructify, falsify, glorify, glassify, gentrify, gratify, humidify, horrify, indemnify, intensify, identify, jollify, justify, mollify, modify, mortify, nullify, notify, objectify, ossify, purify, pacify, personify, qualify, quantify, ratify, rectify, reify, ramify, rigidify, scarify, solidify, signify, typify, terrify, testify, transmogrify, vivify, vilify, and verify.
Being seven, he asked for more. If you can think of any others off the tops of your heads (no cheating; no looking them up) to extend his list, please send them to me. Since many of these words refer to 'making something into something,' he asked whether there is a word that means 'to turn into ice.' I suggested 'gelidify.' Is there one?
