English Explanatory Dictionary

implicate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To show to be connected or involved in an unfavorable or criminal way.
  2. To imply, to have as a necessary consequence or accompaniment.
  3. To imply without entailing; to have as an implicature.
  4. To fold or twist together, intertwine, interlace, entangle, entwine.
noun
  1. The thing implied.
adj
  1. Intertwined, enfolded, twisted together; wrapped up (with), entangled, involved (in).
  2. used in implicate order
  3. Involved, intricate.

Pronunciation

/ˈɪmplɪkeɪt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-implicate.wav /ˈɪmplɪkət/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-implicate2.wav

Word forms

implicate implicates implicating implicated more implicate most implicate

Etymology

First attested in the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English implicaten (poorly attested), from implicat(e) (“wrapped, entwined; involved, connected (with)”, possibly also used as the past participle of implicaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin implicātus, perfect passive participle of implicō (“to entangle, involve”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from plicō (“to fold”). Doublet of imply and employ.

Synonyms

ensnarl involve ravel enmesh ensnare entangle foul implicate imply mat snarl tangle

Related words

implication implicative implicature implicit implicitness imply

Derived words

disimplicate implicatory nonimplicated unimplicate unimplicated implicate order
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on I Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary