Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Dilate

//daɪˈleɪt// adj, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Carried in different ways, spread, abroad, dispersed, published. archaic, obsolete

    "Returne the lords this voyce, we aré their creature : And it is fit, a good, and honeſt prince, Whom they, out of their bounty, haue inſtucted With ſo dilate, and abſolute a power, Should owe the office of it, to their ſeruice ; And good of all, and euery citizen."

Verb
  1. 1
    To enlarge; to make bigger. transitive

    "The eye doctor put drops in my eye to dilate the pupil so he could see the nerve better."

  2. 2
    To delay, defer. obsolete, transitive

    "Without more time delated."

  3. 3
    become wider wordnet
  4. 4
    To become wider or larger; to expand. intransitive

    "His heart dilates and glories in his strength."

  5. 5
    To prolong, lengthen. obsolete, transitive

    "A […] way to dilate a remembrance beyond the banks of Forgetfulness."

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing wordnet
  2. 7
    To speak largely and copiously; to dwell in narration; to enlarge; with "on" or "upon". ambitransitive

    "Do me the favour to dilate at full / What hath befallen of them and thee till now."

  3. 8
    To use a dilator to widen (something, such as a vagina). ambitransitive

    "An experimenter in New York has recently advocated what he is pleased to call temporary forcible dilatation of the trachea in the treatment of membranous croup, his idea being to introduce into the trachea a dilator and to forcibly dilate, every few hours if need be, and he reports favorable results."

Etymology

Etymology 1

First attested in 1393, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dilaten, from Old French dilater, from Latin dīlātō (“to spread out”), from dī- + lātus (“wide”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of dilatate.

Etymology 2

First attested in 1399, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dilaten (“to delay, tarry”), borrowed from Latin dīlātus, perfect passive participle of Latin dīfferō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)). If so, Doublet of defer and differ; see also infer, relate and refer, collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prefer and prelate among others. Alternatively, from Latin dīlātō, see Etymology 1.

Etymology 3

First attested in 1471, in Middle English; borrowed from Latin dīlātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 2 for more.

See also for "dilate"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: dilate