levigate

English

This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes, then please add them!

Alternative forms

• laevigate, lævigate (nonstandard)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lēvigātus, perfect passive participle of Latin lēvigō (“to smoothen”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from lēvis (“smooth”).

Pronunciation

verb

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛvɪɡeɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

adjective

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛvɪɡət/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Verb

levigate (third-person singular simple present levigates, present participle levigating, simple past and past participle levigated)

1. (transitive) To make smooth or polish.
2. (transitive) To make into a smooth paste or fine powder.
4. (transitive) To separate finer grains from coarser ones by suspension in a liquid.
5. (transitive, rare) To lighten.
6. (transitive, rare) To belittle.
7. (obsolete) To render mild; to alleviate, assuage.
8. (obsolete) past participle of levigate [1531]
   • 1531, Thomas Elyot, chapter 1, in The Boke Named the Governour […], London: […] Tho[mas] Bertheleti, →OCLC, 1st boke, folio 13, verso:

     […] whereby his labours beinge leuigate and made moꝛe tollerable he ſhall gouerne with the better aduiſe and conſequently with a moꝛe perfecte gouernance.

Derived terms

• levigator
• unlevigated

Translations

to make smooth or polish

Bulgarian: изглаждам (bg) (izglaždam) Finnish: tasoittaa (fi), kiillottaa (fi) Spanish: levigar (es)

to make into a smooth paste or fine powder

Bulgarian: стривам (bg) (strivam), правя на паста (pravja na pasta) Finnish: hienontaa (fi)

to separate finer grains from coarser ones by suspension

Finnish: kelluttaa (fi)

to lighten — see lighten

to belittle — see belittle

Adjective

levigate (comparative more levigate, superlative most levigate)

1. Smooth.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

levigate

1. inflection of levigare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

levigate f pl

1. feminine plural of levigato

Anagrams

• legatevi, vegetali, vegliate

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɫeː.wɪˈɡaː.tɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [le.viˈɡaː.te]

Participle

lēvigāte

1. vocative masculine singular of lēvigātus

Spanish

Verb

levigate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of levigar combined with te