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levigate

[ verb lev-i-geyt; adjective lev-i-git, -geyt ]
/ verb ˈlɛv ɪˌgeɪt; adjective ˈlɛv ɪ gɪt, -ˌgeɪt /
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verb (used with object), lev·i·gat·ed, lev·i·gat·ing.
to rub, grind, or reduce to a fine powder, as in a mortar, with or without the addition of a liquid.
Chemistry. to make a homogeneous mixture of, as gels.
adjective
Botany. having a smooth, glossy surface; glabrous.
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Origin of levigate

1605–15; <Latin lēvigātus, past participle of lēvigāre to smooth, pulverize, equivalent to lēv(is) smooth + -igāre v. suffix see fumigate, -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM levigate

lev·i·ga·tion, nounlev·i·ga·tor, nounun·lev·i·gat·ed, adjective

Words nearby levigate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use levigate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for levigate

levigate
/ (ˈlɛvɪˌɡeɪt) /

verb chem
(tr) to grind into a fine powder or a smooth paste
to form or cause to form a homogeneous mixture, as in the production of gels
(tr) to suspend (fine particles) by grinding in a liquid, esp as a method of separating fine from coarse particles
adjective
botany having a smooth polished surface; glabrous

Derived forms of levigate

levigation, nounlevigator, noun

Word Origin for levigate

C17: from Latin lēvigāre, from lēvis smooth
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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