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convolute

[kon-vuh-loot]
verb (used with or without object), con·vo·lut·ed, con·vo·lut·ing.
  1. to coil up; form into a twisted shape.
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adjective
  1. rolled up together or with one part over another.
  2. Botany. coiled up longitudinally so that one margin is within the coil and the other without, as the petals of cotton.
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Origin of convolute

1690–1700; < Latin convolūtus rolled up, equivalent to convolū- (stem of convolvere to convolve) + -tus past participle suffix
Related formscon·vo·lute·ly, adverbsub·con·vo·lute, adjectivesub·con·vo·lute·ly, adverbun·con·vo·lute, adjectiveun·con·vo·lute·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for convoluting

spiral, contort, twist, wind, loop, coil, tangle, cloud, snaking, intricate
British Dictionary definitions for convoluting

convolute

verb (tr)
  1. to form into a twisted, coiled, or rolled shape
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adjective
  1. botany rolled longitudinally upon itselfa convolute petal
  2. another word for convoluted (def. 2)
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Derived Formsconvolutely, adverb

Word Origin for convolute

C18: from Latin convolūtus rolled up, from convolvere to roll together, from volvere to turn
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

Word Origin and History for convoluting

convolute

adj.

"rolled up together," 1794, from Latin convolutus, past participle of convolvere (see convolution). The noun meaning "something convoluted" is from 1846.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper