“Edify” is a verb that means to instruct or improve intellectually; you may be familiar with the result, which is “edification.” The word comes from the Latin word “edificare” meaning “to build” – think of the word “edifice”, or building.

Example: “The school bus was delayed for several hours in traffic in front of the Parliament building, and Jane decided to use the time to edify the students on the different branches of government and how they worked.”