divaricate

[ verb dahy-var-i-keyt, dih-; adjective dahy-var-uh-kit, -keyt, dih- ]
See synonyms for divaricate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),di·var·i·cat·ed, di·var·i·cat·ing.
  1. to spread apart; branch; diverge.

  2. Botany, Zoology. to branch at a wide angle.

adjective
  1. spread apart; widely divergent.

  2. Botany, Zoology. branching at a wide angle.

Origin of divaricate

1
1615–25; <Latin dīvāricātus (past participle of dīvāricāre), equivalent to di-2 + vāric- (base of vāricāre to straddle; see prevaricate) + -ātus-ate1

Other words from divaricate

  • di·var·i·cate·ly, adverb
  • di·var·i·cat·ing·ly, adverb
  • di·var·i·ca·tion, noun
  • di·var·i·ca·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for divaricate

divaricate

verb(daɪˈværɪˌkeɪt)
  1. (intr) (esp of branches) to diverge at a wide angle

adjective(daɪˈværɪkɪt, -ˌkeɪt)
  1. branching widely; forked

Origin of divaricate

1
C17: from Latin dīvāricāre to stretch apart, from di- ² + vāricāre to stand astride

Derived forms of divaricate

  • divaricately, adverb
  • divaricatingly, adverb
  • divarication, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012