variegate

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Late Latin varius

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

Proto-Indo-European *-eti

Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti

Proto-Italic *agō

Late Latin agō

Late Latin variegōbor.

English variegate

From Late Latin variegāre (“to make of various sorts or colors”), from Latin varius (“various”) + agere (“to make, do”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈvɛɹiəɡeɪt/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈvɛɹiəˌɡeɪt/

Verb

variegate (third-person singular simple present variegates, present participle variegating, simple past and past participle variegated)

1. (transitive) To add variety to something.

   Synonyms: diversify; see also Thesaurus:diversify

2. (transitive) To change the appearance of something, especially by covering with patches or streaks of different colour.

   Synonyms: redecorate, remodel, reskin

   Hyponyms: checker, (rare, poetic) freck, streak

3. To dapple.

   Synonyms: maculate, mottle, spot

Translations

covering with patches or streaks of different colour

• Bulgarian: пъстря (bg) f (pǎstrja)

Adjective

variegate (comparative more variegate, superlative most variegate)

1. variegated

Derived terms

• variegate porphyria
• variegation

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “variegate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “variegate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “variegate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “variegate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Italian

Adjective

variegate

1. feminine plural of variegato

Anagrams

• reagivate

Latin

Verb

variegāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of variegō