dilate
[ dahy-leyt, di-, dahy-leyt ]
/ daɪˈleɪt, dɪ-, ˈdaɪ leɪt /
verb (used with object), di·lat·ed, di·lat·ing.
to make wider or larger; cause to expand.
Archaic. to describe or develop at length.
verb (used without object), di·lat·ed, di·lat·ing.
to spread out; expand.
to speak or write at length; expatiate (often followed by on or upon).
RELATED WORDS
expound, distend, prolong, develop, extend, augment, expatiate, swell, enlarge, lengthen, increase, protract, inflate, broaden, expand, amplify
Nearby words
- dilatant,
- dilatate,
- dilatation,
- dilatation and curettage,
- dilatator,
- dilation,
- dilation and curettage,
- dilation and evacuation,
- dilation and extraction,
- dilative
Origin of dilate
1350–1400; Middle English dilaten < Middle French dilater, Latin dīlātāre to spread out, equivalent to dī- di-2 + lāt(us) broad + -āre infinitive suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for dilate
dilate
/ (daɪˈleɪt, dɪ-) /
verb
to expand or cause to expand; make or become wider or largerthe pupil of the eye dilates in the dark
(intr; often foll by on or upon) to speak or write at length; expand or enlarge
Word Origin for dilate
C14: from Latin dīlātāre to spread out, amplify, from dis- apart + lātus wide
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
dilate
late 14c., from Old French dilater, from Late Latin dilatare "make wider, enlarge," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + latus "wide" (see latitude). Related: Dilated; dilating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dilate
[ dī-lāt′, dī′lāt′ ]
v.
To make or become wider or larger.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.