divaricate

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

See synonyms for: divaricate divaricated divaricates divaricating 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 dīdi-² + vāric- (base of vāricāre to straddle; see prevaricate) + -ātus-ate¹

Other words from divaricate

di·var·i·cate·ly, adverb
di·var·i·cat·ing·ly, adverb
di·var·i·ca·tion, noun
di·var·i·ca·tor, noun

Words Nearby divaricate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use divaricate in a sentence

The book fell upon her knees, and dreamily she watched the perspective open and divaricate.
Parrot & Co. | Harold MacGrath
Parasitic upon Polyzoa, etc. circinate branched--branches irregular 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
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
When towards the apex the cubit is armed laterally with several divaricate spiniform teeth.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4) | William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for divaricate

divaricate

verb(daɪˈværɪˌkeɪt)

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

adjective(daɪˈværɪkɪt, -ˌkeɪt)

branching widely; forked

Origin of divaricate

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

Derived forms of divaricate

divaricately, adverb
divaricatingly, adverb
divarication, noun

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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