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formulate

[fawr-myuh-leyt]
verb (used with object), for·mu·lat·ed, for·mu·lat·ing.
  1. to express in precise form; state definitely or systematically: He finds it extremely difficult to formulate his new theory.
  2. to devise or develop, as a method, system, etc.
  3. to reduce to or express in a formula.
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Origin of formulate

First recorded in 1855–60; formul(a) + -ate1
Related formsfor·mu·la·ble [fawr-myuh-luh-buhl] /ˈfɔr myə lə bəl/, adjectivefor·mu·la·tion, nounfor·mu·la·tor, nounnon·for·mu·la·tion, nounpre·for·mu·late, verb (used with object), pre·for·mu·lat·ed, pre·for·mu·lat·ing.pre·for·mu·la·tion, nounun·for·mu·lat·ed, adjectivewell-for·mu·lat·ed, adjective

Synonyms

1. articulate, frame, compose, define, specify.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for formulator

Historical Examples

  • He became the lawgiver, the founder of classicism, the formulator of the academic ideal.

    Artist and Public

    Kenyon Cox

British Dictionary definitions for formulator

formulate

verb (tr)
  1. to put into or express in systematic terms; express in or as if in a formula
  2. to devise
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Derived Formsformulator, 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 formulator

formulate

v.

1860, "to express in a formula," from formula + -ate. Related: Formulated; formulating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper