What does "muricate" mean?

covered with short rough points or studs

What is a synonym for "muricate"?

Common synonyms include: bristly, muricated, pointed, prickly, stinging, thorny.

adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Adjective

1
covered with short rough points or studs
"[…] the small areola at base scarcely forked, closely muricate with silvery-gray spinellae on a brown background."
2
covered with crystals

"[…] the small areola at base scarcely forked, closely muricate with silvery-gray spinellae on a brown background."

First attested in 1661; borrowed from Latin mūricātus (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from mūrex (“a pointed rock or stone”).

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