What does "vellicate" mean?
To touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements.
Vellicate
/ˈvɛlɪkeɪt/ verb
verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements.
- Grammar: vellicate is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: fidget, itch, jerk, jig.
- Usage evidence: Convulſions ariſing from Some Acrimony in the Stomach, or from ſomething vellicating a Nerve in its Extremity, and not in its Original where it ariſeth from the Brain, are not very dangerous.
How to use "vellicate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "vellicate" 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 "vellicate" 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 "vellicate" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "vellicate" 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 "fidget" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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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 touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements. transitive
"Convulſions ariſing from Some Acrimony in the Stomach, or from ſomething vellicating a Nerve in its Extremity, and not in its Original where it ariſeth from the Brain, are not very dangerous."
- 2 irritate as if by a nip, pinch, or tear wordnet
- 3 To twitch or move convulsively. intransitive
"All her life, Mrs Foster had had an almost pathological fear of missing a train, a plane, a boat, or even a theatre curtain. In other respects, she was not a particularly nervous woman, but the mere thought of being late on occasions like these would throw her into such a state of nerves that she would begin to twitch. It was nothing much – just a tiny vellicating muscle in the corner of the left eye, like a secret wink – but the annoying thing was that it refused to disappear until an hour or so after the train or plane or whatever it was had been safely caught."
- 4 touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements wordnet
- 5 To tickle, provoking twitching and laughter. formal, transitive
"Where irritation coincides with sensation to produce the same catenations of motion, as in inflammatory fevers, they are excited with still greater energy than by the irritation alone. So when children expect to be tickled in play, by a feather lightly passed over the lips, or by gently vellicating the soles of their feet, laughter is most vehemently excited; though they can stimulate these parts with their own fingers unmoved. Here the pleasureable idea of playfulness coincides with the vellication; and there is no voluntary exertion used to diminish the sensation, as there would be, if a child should endeavour to tickle himself."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To criticize in a somewhat irritating way; to carp at. figuratively, transitive
"Sir, I Have received yours, and reading the Confirmation of your Hypotheſis (which I took the boldneſs a little to vellicate) and your Anſwer to my Objections againſt it, I could not but obſerve your ingenious dexterity therein with pleaſure."
Example
"Convulſions ariſing from Some Acrimony in the Stomach, or from ſomething vellicating a Nerve in its Extremity, and not in its Original where it ariſeth from the Brain, are not very dangerous."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "vellicate"?
Common synonyms include: fidget, itch, jerk, jig, jigger, jiggle.
How do you use "vellicate" in a sentence?
Convulſions ariſing from Some Acrimony in the Stomach, or from ſomething vellicating a Nerve in its Extremity, and not in its Original where it ariſeth from the Brain, are not very dangerous.
How do you pronounce "vellicate"?
Pronounced /ˈvɛlɪkeɪt/.
Etymology
From Latin vellicatus, past participle of vellicare (“to twitch”). Cognate with Spanish pellizcar (“to pinch”).