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defecate

[ def-i-keyt ]
/ ˈdɛf ɪˌkeɪt /
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verb (used without object), def·e·cat·ed, def·e·cat·ing.
to void excrement from the bowels through the anus; have a bowel movement.
to become clear of dregs, impurities, etc.
verb (used with object), def·e·cat·ed, def·e·cat·ing.
to clear of dregs, impurities, etc.; purify; refine.
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Origin of defecate

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin dēfaecātus (past participle of dēfaecāre “to cleanse, refine”), equivalent to dē- de- + faec- (stem of faex “dregs, sediment”) + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM defecate

def·e·ca·tion [def-i-key-shuhn] /ˌdɛf ɪˈkeɪ ʃən/ noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use defecate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for defecate

defecate

defaecate

/ (ˈdɛfɪˌkeɪt) /

verb
(intr) to discharge waste from the body through the anus
(tr) to clarify or remove impurities from (a solution, esp of sugar)

Derived forms of defecate

defecation or defaecation, noundefecator or defaecator, noun

Word Origin for defecate

C16: from Latin dēfaecāre to cleanse from dregs, from de- + faex sediment, dregs
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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