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vermiculate

[verb ver-mik-yuh-leyt; adjective ver-mik-yuh-lit, -leyt]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vermiculate ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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 formsver·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

Related Words for vermiculate

meandering, winding, convoluted, labyrinthine, circuitous, indirect, serpentine, twisting, curved, sinuous, curly, coiled, bent, crooked, roundabout, snaky, zigzag, anfractuous, flexuous, involute

Examples from the Web for vermiculate

Historical Examples of vermiculate

  • Vermiculate: worm-like in form: a marking with wormlike tracings.

  • 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

  • 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

  • What a breeding nest of vermiculate cares and pains was this human heart of ours!

    Thomas Wingfold, Curate

    George MacDonald

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