Divaricate

//daɪˈvæɹɪkeɪt// adj, verb

adj, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To spread apart; to (cause to) diverge or branch off. ambitransitive
  2. 2
    spread apart wordnet
  3. 3
    branch off wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Having wide angles between the branches.

Synonyms

All synonyms
aberratebe distinctbe distinguishedbear offbendbifurcate

Etymology

The verb is first attested in 1623, the adjective in 1788; borrowed from Latin dīvāricātus, perfect passive participle of dīvāricō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from dis- + vāricō (“to straddle, to stretch (the legs) apart”), from vāricus (“straddling”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.