vermiculate

American  

[ver-mik-yuh-leyt, ver-mik-yuh-lit, -leyt] / vərˈmɪk yəˌleɪt, vərˈmɪk yə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

vermiculated, vermiculating

1. to work or ornament with wavy lines or markings resembling the form or tracks of a worm.

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adjective

1. worm-eaten, or appearing as if worm-eaten.

2. vermicular.

3. sinuous; tortuous; intricate.

   vermiculate thought processes.

vermiculate British  

verb

1. (tr) to decorate with wavy or wormlike tracery or markings

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adjective

1. vermicular; sinuous

2. worm-eaten or appearing as if worm-eaten

3. (of thoughts, etc) insinuating; subtly tortuous

Other Word Forms

• unvermiculated adjective
• vermiculation noun

Etymology

Origin of vermiculate

First recorded in 1595–1605, vermiculate is from the Latin word vermiculātus (past participle of vermiculārī to be worm-eaten). See vermicule, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

With its feudal class system intact - if moth-eaten and vermiculated - British society exhibits small but crucial differences in its satiric temperament.

From BBC

Bouie noted the speakers whose presence would raise doubts about any political body that invited them to appear — from the vermiculate gasbag Donald Trump to the hucksters Herman Cain and Sarah Palin.

From Salon

He took the scientists to the kitchen and there in the cooking pot were the telltale head and feet of Scotopelia bouvieri, the little-known vermiculated fishing owl.

From The Guardian

On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming.

From The Guardian

The upper side of the tail is vermiculated with whitish and the underside of the tail is black.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• circuitous
• convoluted
• indirect
• labyrinthine
• meandering
• serpentine
• twisting
• winding