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vermiculate

[verb ver-mik-yuh-leyt; adjective ver-mik-yuh-lit, -leyt]
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verb (used with object), ver·mic·u·lat·ed, ver·mic·u·lat·ing.
  1. to work or ornament with wavy lines or markings resembling the form or tracks of a worm.
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adjective Also ver·mic·u·lat·ed [ver-mik-yuh-ley-tid] /vərˈmɪk yəˌleɪ tɪd/.
  1. worm-eaten, or appearing as if worm-eaten.
  2. vermicular.
  3. sinuous; tortuous; intricate: vermiculate thought processes.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for vermiculation

Historical Examples

  • The vermiculation is never well developed (see plate 38 in Conant, 1958).

    A Taxonomic Revision of the Leptodactylid Frog Genus Syrrhophus Cope

    John D. Lynch

British Dictionary definitions for vermiculation

vermiculation

noun
  1. physiol any wormlike movement, esp of the intestines; peristalsis
  2. decoration consisting of wormlike carving or marks
  3. the state of being worm-eaten
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vermiculate

verb (vɜːˈmɪkjʊˌleɪt)
  1. (tr) to decorate with wavy or wormlike tracery or markings
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adjective (vɜːˈmɪkjʊlɪt, -ˌleɪt)
  1. vermicular; sinuous
  2. worm-eaten or appearing as if worm-eaten
  3. (of thoughts, etc) insinuating; subtly tortuous
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Word Origin

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
vermiculation in Medicine

vermiculation

(vər-mĭk′yə-lā′shən)
n.
  1. Motion resembling that of a worm, especially the wavelike contractions of the intestine; peristalsis.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.