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adumbrate

[ ad-uhm-breyt, a-duhm-breyt ]
/ ˈæd əmˌbreɪt, æˈdʌm breɪt /
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See synonyms for: adumbrate / adumbrates / adumbration on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), ad·um·brat·ed, ad·um·brat·ing.
to produce a faint image or resemblance of; to outline or sketch.
to foreshadow; prefigure.
to darken or conceal partially; overshadow.
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Origin of adumbrate

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin adumbrātus “shaded” (past participle of adumbrāre ), equivalent to ad- ad- + umbr(a) “shade, shadow” + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM adumbrate

ad·um·bra·tion [ad-uhm-brey-shuhn], /ˌæd əmˈbreɪ ʃən/, noun

Words nearby adumbrate

adult home, adulthood, adulticide, Adult Training Centre, adumbral, adumbrate, adumbration, adumbrative, adunc, adust, ad utrumque paratus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to adumbrate

augur, bode, cloud, darken, foretell, indicate, intimate, mist, obfuscate, obscure, outline, portend, sketch, suggest

How to use adumbrate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for adumbrate

adumbrate
/ (ˈædʌmˌbreɪt) /
verb (tr)
to outline; give a faint indication of
to foreshadow
to overshadow; obscure

Derived forms of adumbrate

adumbration, nounadumbrative (ædˈʌmbrətɪv), adjectiveadumbratively, adverb

Word Origin for adumbrate

C16: from Latin adumbrātus represented only in outline, from adumbrāre to cast a shadow on, from umbra shadow
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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