vellicate

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin vellicatus, past participle of vellicare (“to twitch”). Cognate with Spanish pellizcar (“to pinch”)

Verb

1. To touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements.
   • Roald Dahl, The Way Up to Heaven

     It was nothing much - just a tiny vellicating muscle in the corner of the left eye […]

2. to irritate as if by a nip, pinch, or tear.

   Smooth surfaces can vellicate the teeth.

3. To pinch.
4. To cause to twitch.
   • Arbuthnot

     Convulsions, arising from something vellicating a nerve in its extremity, are not very dangerous.

Related terms

• vellication
• vellicative

Translations

touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements

• German: reizen (de), erregen (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: подёргиваться (ru) (podjórgivatʹsja)

See also

• tickle
• titillate

Anagrams

• allective

---

Italian

Verb

vellicate

1. second-person plural present indicative of vellicare
2. second-person plural imperative of vellicare

Participle

vellicate

1. feminine plural of the past participle of vellicare

---

Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) vellicāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of vellicō