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 our political views, but we agreed to put them aside for family dinner."
About Divaricate
This verb for stretching or spreading apart traces back to Latin. "Varicare" means to stretch the legs apart and the prefix "di-" means expressing intensve force. So divaricate means to stretch with some amount of force. It's not just a slight difference.
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.
