What does "supplicate" mean?
To make a humble request to (someone, especially a person in authority); to beg, to beseech, to entreat.
Supplicate
/ˈsʌplɪkeɪt/ verb
verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To make a humble request to (someone, especially a person in authority); to beg, to beseech, to entreat.
- Grammar: supplicate is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: beseech, entreat, implore, petition.
- Useful contrasts: demand, deny, ignore.
- Usage evidence: "Your Petitioner, in all Submiſſiveneſs, moſt humbly ſupplicateth your Honourable Lordſhips, to be pleaſed to diſpenſe vvith your Petitioner's Attendance, until God ſhall better enable him." Ordered, That this Houſe doth diſpenſe vvith Mr. Baron [Edward] Henden’s Abſence,^([sic – meaning presence]) until his Health vvill permit him to come hither vvith Safety.
How to use "supplicate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "supplicate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "supplicate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "supplicate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "supplicate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "supplicate" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "beseech" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "supplicate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To make a humble request to (someone, especially a person in authority); to beg, to beseech, to entreat. transitive
""Your Petitioner, in all Submiſſiveneſs, moſt humbly ſupplicateth your Honourable Lordſhips, to be pleaſed to diſpenſe vvith your Petitioner's Attendance, until God ſhall better enable him." Ordered, That this Houſe doth diſpenſe vvith Mr. Baron [Edward] Henden’s Abſence,^([sic – meaning presence]) until his Health vvill permit him to come hither vvith Safety."
- 2 ask humbly (for something) wordnet
- 3 To make a humble request to (someone, especially a person in authority); to beg, to beseech, to entreat.; Of a member of the university, or an alumnus or alumna of another university seeking a degree ad eundem: to make a formal request (to the university) that an academic degree be awarded to oneself. archaic, specifically, transitive
"In Nov. 1561 he [William Alley] ſupplicated the venerable congregation of Regents of the Univerſity that the Degree of Bach[elor] of Divinity might be conferr'd on him: vvhich being granted, he ſupplicated for that of Doctor; and that being granted alſo, he vvas admitted to them both ſucceſſively, vvithout any mention at all of Incorporation."
- 4 ask for humbly or earnestly, as in prayer wordnet
- 5 To make a humble request to (someone, especially a person in authority); to beg, to beseech, to entreat.; To make a humble request to (a deity or other spiritual being) in a prayer; to entreat as a supplicant. specifically, transitive
"to supplicate the Deity"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 make a humble, earnest petition wordnet
- 7 To ask or request (something) humbly and sincerely, especially from a person in authority; to beg or entreat for. transitive
"to supplicate blessings on Christian efforts to spread the gospel"
- 8 To humbly request for something, especially to someone in a position of authority; to beg, to beseech, to entreat. intransitive
"Thus alſo the Church of Svveueland ſupplicateth to the Emperour of Germanie, if ſo bee that in time, vvee may not haue opportunitie for a generall Councell, yet at the lest your Maiestie may appoint a prouinciall aſſembly, &c."
- 9 To humbly request for something, especially to someone in a position of authority; to beg, to beseech, to entreat.; Of a member of the university, or an alumnus or alumna of another university seeking a degree ad eundem: to formally request that an academic degree be awarded to oneself. intransitive, specifically
"He [Robert Talbot] vvas educated […] in Logicals and Philoſophicals in New Coll[ege] of vvhich he became Fellovv (after he had ſerved tvvo Years of probation) an[no] 1523. and left it 5 Years after, being then only Bach[elor] of Arts, ſupplicated for the Degree of Maſter 1529, but not admitted, as I can find in the Regiſter of that time."
Example
""Your Petitioner, in all Submiſſiveneſs, moſt humbly ſupplicateth your Honourable Lordſhips, to be pleaſed to diſpenſe vvith your Petitioner's Attendance, until God ſhall better enable him." Ordered, That this Houſe doth diſpenſe vvith Mr. Baron [Edward] Henden’s Abſence,^([sic – meaning presence]) until his Health vvill permit him to come hither vvith Safety."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "supplicate"?
Common synonyms include: beseech, entreat, implore, petition, plead, adjure.
How do you use "supplicate" in a sentence?
"Your Petitioner, in all Submiſſiveneſs, moſt humbly ſupplicateth your Honourable Lordſhips, to be pleaſed to diſpenſe vvith your Petitioner's Attendance, until God ſhall better enable him." Ordered, That this Houſe doth diſpenſe vvith Mr. Baron [Edward] Henden’s Abſence,^([sic – meaning presence]) until his Health vvill permit him to come hither vvith Safety.
How do you pronounce "supplicate"?
Pronounced /ˈsʌplɪkeɪt/.
Etymology
PIE word *upó From Late Middle English supplicaten (“to request (that someone do something)”) [and other forms], borrowed from Latin supplicātus (“prayed”) + Middle English -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). Supplicātus is the perfect passive participle of supplicō (“to pray, supplicate; to beg, humbly beseech”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from sup- (variant of sub- (prefix meaning ‘below, beneath, under’)) + plicō (“to bend, flex; to fold; to roll up”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- (“to fold; to plait, weave”)).