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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Edify \Ed"i*fy\, verb (used without an object) To improve. [R.] --Swift.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Edify \Ed"i*fy\, verb (used without an object) [imp. & p. p. {Edified}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Edifying}.] [F. ['e]difier, L. aedificare; aedes a building, house, orig., a fireplace (akin to Gr. ? to burn, Skr. idh to kindle, OHG. eit funeral pile, AS. [=a]d, OIr. aed fire) + facere to make. See {Fact}, {-fy}.]
1. To build; to construct. [Archaic]
There was a holy chapel edified. --Spenser.
2. To instruct and improve, especially in moral and religious knowledge; to teach.
It does not appear probable that our dispute [about miracles] would either edify or enlighten the public. --Gibbon.
3. To teach or persuade. [Obs.] --Bacon.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
edify
verb: make understand; "Can you enlighten me--I don't understand this proposal" [syn: {enlighten}] [also: {edified}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
61 Moby Thesaurus words for "edify": acculturate, advance, ameliorate, amend, better, boost, bring forward, broaden the mind, catechize, civilize, demonstrate, direct, educate, elevate, elucidate, emend, enhance, enlighten, enrich, fatten, favor, forward, foster, give instruction, give lessons in, go straight, ground, guide, illume, illumine, improve, improve upon, inform, instruct, irradiate, lard, lift, make an improvement, meliorate, mend, nurture, open the eyes, promote, raise, reeducate, refine upon, reform, school, set right, sharpen the wits, show, show how, socialize, straighten out, teach, teach a lesson, teach the rudiments, transfigure, transform, upgrade, uplift
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