divaricate

views updated Jun 11 2018

di·var·i·cate • v. [intr.] / dīˈvariˌkāt; di-/ technical or poetic/lit. stretch or spread apart; diverge widely: her crow's feet are divaricating like deltas.• adj. / -kit; -ˌkāt/ Bot. (of a branch) coming off the stem almost at a right angle.DERIVATIVES: di·var·i·ca·tion / -ˌvariˈkāshən/ n.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

divaricate

views updated May 23 2018

divaricate stretch or spread apart. XVII. f. pp. stem of L. dīvaricāre, f. DI- 1 + varicāre stretch (the legs) asunder, f. varicus straddling; see -ATE 3.
So divarication XVI.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

divaricate

All Sources -
Updated Aug 08 2016 About encyclopedia.com content Print Topic

You Might Also Like