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maculate

[ adjective mak-yuh-lit; verb mak-yuh-leyt ]
/ adjective ˈmæk yə lɪt; verb ˈmæk yəˌleɪt /
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See synonyms for: maculate / maculated / maculates / maculating 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.
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Origin of maculate

1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin maculātus (past participle of maculāre to spot, stain). See macula, -ate1

Words nearby maculate

macruran, macrurous, macula, macula lutea, macular degeneration, maculate, maculation, macule, macumba, macushla, Macy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to maculate

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

How to use maculate in a sentence

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
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