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divaricate

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

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. divagation,
  2. divalent,
  3. divali,
  4. divalproex sodium,
  5. divan,
  6. divarication,
  7. divaricator,
  8. dive,
  9. dive bomber,
  10. dive brake

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

Examples from the Web for divaricate

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