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divaricate

[ verb dahy-var-i-keyt, dih-; adjective dahy-var-uh-kit, -keyt, dih- ]
/ verb daɪˈvær ɪˌkeɪt, dɪ-; adjective daɪˈvær ə kɪt, -ˌkeɪt, dɪ- /
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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.
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Origin of divaricate

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

OTHER WORDS FROM divaricate

di·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. 2022

How to use divaricate in a sentence

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 forms of divaricate

divaricately, 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
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