vermiculate

[ verb ver-mik-yuh-leyt; adjective ver-mik-yuh-lit, -leyt ]

/ verb vərˈmɪk yəˌleɪt; adjective vərˈmɪk yə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

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verb (used with object), ver·mic·u·lat·ed, ver·mic·u·lat·ing.

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

adjective Also ver·mic·u·lat·ed [ver-mik-yuh-ley-tid] /vərˈmɪk yəˌleɪ tɪd/.

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

vermicular.

sinuous; tortuous; intricate: vermiculate thought processes.

Nearby words

vermicidal, vermicide, vermicular, vermicular movement, vermicular pulse, vermiculate, vermiculation, vermicule, vermiculite, vermiculose, vermiculture

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, -ate¹

Related forms

ver·mic·u·la·tion, nounun·ver·mic·u·lat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vermiculate

He regarded the thing as vermiculate, and ready to corrupt the obedience.
The Elect Lady|George MacDonald
Religion itself in the hearts of the unreal, is a dead thing; what seems life in it, is the vermiculate life of a corpse.
Hope of the Gospel|George MacDonald
Vermiculate: worm-like in form: a marking with wormlike tracings.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology|John. B. Smith
My life seemed only a vermiculate one, a crawling about of half-thoughts-half-feelings through the corpse of a decaying existence.
Wilfrid Cumbermede|George MacDonald

Some that I caught and examined closely had, as Scott says, "vermiculate marks on the back very plain and distinct."
Fishing With The Fly|Charles F. Orvis and Others

British Dictionary definitions for vermiculate

vermiculate

verb (vɜːˈmɪkjʊˌleɪt)

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

adjective (vɜːˈmɪkjʊlɪt, -ˌleɪt)

vermicular; sinuous

worm-eaten or appearing as if worm-eaten

(of thoughts, etc) insinuating; subtly tortuous

Word Origin for vermiculate

C17: from Latin vermiculātus in the form of worms, from vermis worm

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