variegate

[ vair-ee-i-geyt, vair-i-geyt ]
/ ˈvɛər i ɪˌgeɪt, ˈvɛər ɪˌgeɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR variegate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), var·i·e·gat·ed, var·i·e·gat·ing.

to make varied in appearance, as by adding different colors.
to give variety to; diversify.

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
to cause to be empty or unoccupied.
to assent tacitly; agree; consent.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of variegate

1645–55; <Late Latin variegātus (past participle of variegāre to make (something) look varied), equivalent to Latin vari(us) various + -eg- (combining form of agere to do; see agent) + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM variegate

var·i·e·ga·tor, noun

Words nearby variegate

varicotomy, varicula, varicule, varied, varied thrush, variegate, variegated, variegate porphyria, variegation, varier, varietal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to variegate

smear, spot, daub, band, fleck, stripe, slash, dapple, marble, vein, striate, strake

Example sentences from the Web for variegate

  • Possibly the purple patches of relaxation which variegate the lives of the inmates are too few and too far between.

    The Vagrancy Problem.|William Harbutt Dawson

  • Their clothes they variegate by steeping them in dyes, which produce a colour not easily effaced.

    The Geography of Strabo, Volume II (of 3)|Strabo

  • The Ashburners and Sedgwicks continue your tradition and even ornament or variegate it with their own original force.

    Notes of a Son and Brother|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for variegate

variegate
/ (ˈvɛərɪˌɡeɪt) /

verb (tr)

to alter the appearance of, esp by adding different colours
to impart variety to

Derived forms of variegate

variegation, noun

Word Origin for variegate

C17: from Late Latin variegāre, from Latin varius diverse, various + agere to make
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