ɪˌkeɪt verb (used without object)
1.
to void excrement from the bowels through the anus; have a bowel movement.
2.
to become clear of dregs, impurities, etc.
verb (used with object)
3.
to clear of dregs, impurities, etc.; purify; refine.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To defecate
00:10
Defecate
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
defecate or defaecate (ˈdɛfɪˌkeɪt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (intr) to discharge waste from the body through the anus |
| 2. | (tr) to clarify or remove impurities from (a solution, esp of sugar) |
| [C16: from Latin dēfaecāre to cleanse from dregs, from | |
| defaecate or defaecate | |
| —vb | |
| [C16: from Latin dēfaecāre to cleanse from dregs, from | |
| defe'cation or defaecate | |
| —n | |
| defae'cation or defaecate | |
| —n | |
| 'defecator or defaecate | |
| —n | |
| 'defaecator or defaecate | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
defecate
1570s, "to purify," from L. defæcatus, pp. of defæcare "cleanse from dregs, purify," from the phrase de fæce "from dregs," pl. fæces "feces." Excretory sense first recorded 1830 (defecation), Amer.Eng., from French.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
defecate def·e·cate (děf'ĭ-kāt')
v. def·e·cat·ed, def·e·cat·ing, def·e·cates
To void feces from the bowels.
def'e·ca'tion n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
