definitions

maculate

[ adjective mak-yuh-lit; verb mak-yuh-leyt ]
/ adjective ˈmæk yə lɪt; verb ˈmæk yəˌleɪt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR maculate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

spotted; stained.
Archaic. defiled; impure.

verb (used with object), mac·u·lat·ed, mac·u·lat·ing. Archaic.

to mark with a spot or spots; stain.
to sully or pollute.

RELATED WORDS

sully, debase, pollute, tarnish, smear, muddy, taint, smudge, degrade, contaminate, besmirch, tar, dishonor, discolor, desecrate, vitiate, speckle, mottle, spotted, checkered

Nearby words

macular, macular amyloidosis, macular area, macular degeneration, macular leprosy, maculate, maculation, macule, maculocerebral, maculoerythematous, maculopapular erythroderma

Origin of maculate

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin maculātus (past participle of maculāre to spot, stain). See macula, -ate1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for maculate

  • His heavy, blunt hand fumbled under the maculate apron; his chest heaved with a sudden, tempestuous breathing.

    Wild Oranges|Joseph Hergesheimer

  • We are maculate, and it is given to no man to probe the mystery of existence.

    A Secret Inheritance (Volume 1 of 3)|B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon

  • Maculate -ed: spotted or marked with figures of any shape, of a color different from the ground.

    Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology|John. B. Smith

  • Josephina owns one unchanging dress, septic, maculate and repellent.

    I, Mary MacLane|Mary MacLane

British Dictionary definitions for maculate

maculate

/ archaic, or literary /

verb (ˈmækjʊˌleɪt)

(tr) to spot, stain, or pollute

adjective (ˈmækjʊlɪt)

spotted or polluted

Word Origin for maculate

C15: from Latin maculāre to stain
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

Medicine definitions for maculate

maculate

[ măk′yə-lāt′ ]

v.

To spot or blemish.

adj.

Spotted or blotched.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.