Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



Jan 11, 2024
This week’s theme
Forgotten positives

This week’s words
capacitate
eptitude
mediate
maculate
nocent

maculate
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI

Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

maculate

PRONUNCIATION:
(MAK-yuh-layt, adj: -lit/-luht)

MEANING:
verb tr.: To stain, blemish, or pollute.
adjective: Stained, spotted, or impure.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin maculare (to stain, disgrace), from macula (stain, blemish). Earliest documented use: 1475.

USAGE:
“I had to maculate the gleam in my eye.”
Justin Phillip Reed; When I Was a Poet; Poetry (Chicago, Illinois); Dec 2019.

“I can make out its long-fingered wings and tightly ruddering tail, its maculate underside.”
Richard Smyth; There’s a Buzzard in the Air; The Guardian (London, UK); Apr 14, 2020.

See more usage examples of maculate in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Some are guilty, but all are responsible. -Abraham Joshua Heschel, rabbi and professor (11 Jan 1907-1972)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith