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nucleate

American  
[noo-klee-it, -eyt, nyoo-, noo-klee-eyt, nyoo-] / ˈnu kli ɪt, -ˌeɪt, ˈnyu-, ˈnu kliˌeɪt, ˈnyu- /

adjective

  1. having a nucleus.


verb (used with object)

nucleated, nucleating
  1. to form (something) into a nucleus.

verb (used without object)

nucleated, nucleating
  1. to form a nucleus.

nucleate British  

adjective

  1. having a nucleus

"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

verb

  1. to form a nucleus

"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

Other Word Forms

  • multinucleate adjective
  • nucleation noun
  • nucleator noun
  • unnucleated adjective

Etymology

Origin of nucleate

First recorded in 1860–65, nucleate is from the Latin word nucleātus having a kernel or stone. See nucleus, -ate 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The research team delved deeply into possible mechanisms for diamonds to nucleate and grow under these new conditions.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

So I think it’s artistic license to suggest that that could nucleate some fireworks.

From The Verge • Dec. 17, 2021

The scientists then teased out how much of those fluctuations came from water being added to or subtracted from Earth’s surface, and calculated how that affected forces deep underground where earthquakes begin, or nucleate.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 15, 2017

Dark energy also destabilizes the system and causes universes to nucleate out like raindrops in a cloud.

From Scientific American • Aug. 6, 2012

In almost all nucleate cells the nucleus is resorbed when the cell reaches its full development, and it is larger and more important the younger the cell is.

From Form and Function A Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology by E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell