Dictionary.com

invaginate

[ verb in-vaj-uh-neyt; adjective in-vaj-uh-nit, -neyt ]
/ verb ɪnˈvædʒ əˌneɪt; adjective ɪnˈvædʒ ə nɪt, -ˌneɪt /
Save This Word!

verb (used with object), in·vag·i·nat·ed, in·vag·i·nat·ing.
to insert or receive, as into a sheath; sheathe.
to fold or draw (a tubular organ) back within itself; intussuscept.
verb (used without object), in·vag·i·nat·ed, in·vag·i·nat·ing.
to become invaginated; undergo invagination.
to form a pocket by turning in.
adjective
folded or turned back upon itself.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of invaginate

1650–60; <Medieval Latin invāgīnātus, past participle of invāgīnāre to sheathe. See in-2, vaginate

OTHER WORDS FROM invaginate

un·in·vag·i·nat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for invaginate

invaginate

verb (ɪnˈvædʒɪˌneɪt)
pathol to push one section of (a tubular organ or part) back into itself so that it becomes ensheathed; intussuscept
(intr) (of the outer layer of an organism or part) to undergo invagination
adjective (ɪnˈvædʒɪnɪt, -ˌneɪt)
(of an organ or part) folded back upon itself

Derived forms of invaginate

invaginable, adjective

Word Origin for invaginate

C19: from Medieval Latin invāgīnāre, from Latin in- ² + vāgīna sheath
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
FEEDBACK