divaricate

[verb dahy-var-i-keyt, di-; adjective dahy-var-uh-kit, -keyt, di-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR divaricate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), di·var·i·cat·ed, di·var·i·cat·ing.

to spread apart; branch; diverge.

Botany, Zoology. to branch at a wide angle.

adjective

spread apart; widely divergent.

Botany, Zoology. branching at a wide angle.

Origin of divaricate

1615–25; < Latin dīvāricātus (past participle of dīvāricāre), equivalent to dī di-² + vāric- (base of vāricāre to straddle; see prevaricate) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsdi·var·i·cate·ly, adverbdi·var·i·cat·ing·ly, adverbdi·var·i·ca·tion, noundi·var·i·ca·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for divaricate

jagged, differ, divide, modify, diverge, range, diversify, fluctuate, alter, veer, deviate, stray, radiate, bifurcate, divided, zigzag, split, branching, tined, angled

Examples from the Web for divaricate

Historical Examples of divaricate

Branches irregular, divaricate nearly at rightangles, subalternate.
Narrative Of The Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By The Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During The Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries And Surveys In New Guinea, The Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. To Which Is Added The Account Of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition For The Exploration Of The Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist To The Expedition. In Two Volumes. Volume 1.
John MacGillivray
Stems or branches pinnate: pinnae or branches alternate, straight, divaricate.
Narrative Of The Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By The Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During The Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries And Surveys In New Guinea, The Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. To Which Is Added The Account Of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition For The Exploration Of The Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist To The Expedition. In Two Volumes. Volume 1.
John MacGillivray
The book fell upon her knees, and dreamily she watched the perspective open and divaricate.
Parrot & Co.
Harold MacGrath

British Dictionary definitions for divaricate

divaricate

verb (daɪˈværɪˌkeɪt)

(intr) (esp of branches) to diverge at a wide angle

adjective (daɪˈværɪkɪt, -ˌkeɪt)

branching widely; forked

Derived Formsdivaricately, adverbdivaricatingly, adverbdivarication, noun

Word Origin for divaricate

C17: from Latin dīvāricāre to stretch apart, from di- ² + vāricāre to stand astride

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