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ate

[ eyt; British et ]
/ eɪt; British ɛt /
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verb
simple past tense of eat.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ate

ate , eight

Other definitions for ate (2 of 6)

Ate
[ ey-tee, ah-tee ]
/ ˈeɪ ti, ˈɑ ti /

noun
an ancient Greek goddess personifying the fatal blindness or recklessness that produces crime and the divine punishment that follows it.

Origin of Ate

<Greek, special use of átē reckless impulse, ruin, akin to aáein to mislead, harm

Other definitions for ate (3 of 6)

ATE

equipment that makes a series of tests automatically.

Origin of ATE

a(utomatic)t(est)e(quipment)

Other definitions for ate (4 of 6)

-ate1

a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, its English distribution paralleling that of Latin. The form originated as a suffix added to a-stem verbs to form adjectives (separate). The resulting form could also be used independently as a noun (advocate) and came to be used as a stem on which a verb could be formed (separate; advocate; agitate). In English the use as a verbal suffix has been extended to stems of non-Latin origin: calibrate; acierate.

Origin of -ate

1
<Latin -ātus (masculine), -āta (feminine), -ātum (neuter), equivalent to -ā- thematic vowel + -tus, -ta, -tum past participle suffix

Other definitions for ate (5 of 6)

-ate2

a specialization of -ate1, used to indicate a salt of an acid ending in -ic, added to a form of the stem of the element or group: nitrate; sulfate.
Compare -ite1.

Origin of -ate

2
Probably originally in New Latin phrases, as plumbum acetātum salt produced by the action of acetic acid on lead

Other definitions for ate (6 of 6)

-ate3

a suffix occurring originally in nouns borrowed from Latin, and in English coinages from Latin bases, that denote offices or functions (consulate; triumvirate; pontificate), as well as institutions or collective bodies (electorate; senate); sometimes extended to denote a person who exercises such a function (magistrate; potentate), an associated place (consulate), or a period of office or rule (protectorate). Joined to stems of any origin, ate3 signifies the office, term of office, or territory of a ruler or official (caliphate; khanate; shogunate).

Origin of -ate

3
<Latin -ātus (genitive -ātūs), generalized from v. derivatives, as augurātus office of an augur (augurā(re) to foretell by augury + -tus suffix of v. action), construed as derivative of auguraugur1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ate (1 of 4)

ate
/ (ɛt, eɪt) /

verb
the past tense of eat

British Dictionary definitions for ate (2 of 4)

Ate
/ (ˈeɪtɪ, ˈɑːtɪ) /

noun
Greek myth a goddess who makes men blind so that they will blunder into guilty acts

Word Origin for Ate

C16: via Latin from Greek atē a rash impulse

British Dictionary definitions for ate (3 of 4)

-ate1

suffix
(forming adjectives) possessing; having the appearance or characteristics offortunate; palmate; Latinate
(forming nouns) a chemical compound, esp a salt or ester of an acidcarbonate; stearate
(forming nouns) the product of a processcondensate
forming verbs from nouns and adjectiveshyphenate; rusticate

Word Origin for -ate

from Latin -ātus, past participial ending of verbs ending in -āre

British Dictionary definitions for ate (4 of 4)

-ate2

suffix forming nouns
denoting office, rank, or a group having a certain functionepiscopate; electorate

Word Origin for -ate

from Latin -ātus, suffix (fourth declension) of collective nouns
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

Scientific definitions for ate

-ate

A suffix used to form the name of a salt or ester of an acid whose name ends in -ic, such as acetate, a salt or ester of acetic acid. Such salts or esters have one oxygen atom more than corresponding salts or esters with names ending in -ite. For example, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid and contains the group SO4, while a sulfite contains SO3. Compare -ite.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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