divaricate
[ verb dahy-var-i-keyt, dih-; adjective dahy-var-uh-kit, -keyt, dih- ]
verb (used without object),di·var·i·cat·ed, di·var·i·cat·ing.
to spread apart; branch; diverge.
Botany, Zoology. to branch at a wide angle.
adjective
spread apart; widely divergent.
Botany, Zoology. branching at a wide angle.
Origin of divaricate
11615–25; <Latin dīvāricātus (past participle of dīvāricāre), equivalent to dīdi-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)
(intr) (esp of branches) to diverge at a wide angle
adjective(daɪˈværɪkɪt, -ˌkeɪt)
branching widely; forked
Origin of divaricate
1C17: 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
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