Divaricate
[di-VAR-ə-kayt]
Part of speech: verb
Origin: Latin, early 17th century
1.
Stretch or spread apart.
2.
Diverge widely.
Examples of Divaricate in a sentence
"You'll want to divaricate the new plantings in the garden to allow the roots to grow."
"We divaricate on certain issues, but we agreed to put our differences aside for family dinner."
About Divaricate
Divaricate, meaning "stretching or spreading apart," traces back to Latin. "Varicare" means "to stretch the legs apart," and the prefix "di-" means "expressing intensive force."
Did you Know?
As a verb, "divaricate" means "to separate or diverge." It's also used in botany as a noun for a branching pattern of leaves. In that sense, it can be an adjective as well. Shrubs often have divaricating leaves.
