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divaricate

Syllabification: (di·var·i·cate)
Definition of divaricate

verb


[no object] technical or literary
  • stretch or spread apart; diverge widely.

adjective

Pronunciation: /-kit, -ˌkāt/

Botany
  • (of a branch) coming off the stem almost at a right angle.

Derivatives

divarication

Pronunciation: /-ˌvariˈkāSHən/

noun

Origin:

early 17th century: from Latin divaricat- 'stretched apart', from the verb divaricare, from di- (expressing intensive force) + varicare 'stretch the legs apart' (from varicus 'straddling')

divaricate in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of divaricate in the British & World English dictionary
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