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flocculate

[ flok-yuh-leyt ]
/ ˈflɒk yəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object), floc·cu·lat·ed, floc·cu·lat·ing.

to form into flocculent masses.

verb (used without object), floc·cu·lat·ed, floc·cu·lat·ing.

to form flocculent masses, as a cloud or a chemical precipitate; form aggregated or compound masses of particles.

Nearby words

floccillation, floccinaucinihilipilification, floccose, flocculant, floccular, flocculate, flocculation, flocculation reaction, floccule, flocculent, flocculent precipitate

Origin of flocculate

First recorded in 1820–30; floccul(us) + -ate1
Related formsfloc·cu·la·ble [flok-yuh-luh-buh l] /ˈflɒk yə lə bəl/, adjectivefloc·cu·la·tion, nounfloc·cu·la·tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for flocculate

flocculate

/ (ˈflɒkjʊˌleɪt) /

verb

to form or be formed into an aggregated flocculent mass
Derived Formsflocculation, 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

Word Origin and History for flocculate

flocculate

v.

1877, from flocculus (1799, from Modern Latin diminutive of Latin floccus "flock of wool") + -ate. Related: Flocculated; flocculating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper