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View synonyms for defecate

defecate

[ def-i-keyt ]

verb (used without object)

, def·e·cat·ed, def·e·cat·ing.
  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)

, def·e·cat·ed, def·e·cat·ing.
  1. to clear of dregs, impurities, etc.; purify; refine.

defecate

/ ˈdɛfɪˌkeɪt /

verb

  1. intr to discharge waste from the body through the anus
  2. tr to clarify or remove impurities from (a solution, esp of sugar)


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Derived Forms

  • ˈdefeˌcator, noun
  • ˌdefeˈcation, noun

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Other Words From

  • def·e·ca·tion [def-i-, key, -sh, uh, n] noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of defecate1

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin dēfaecātus (past participle of dēfaecāre “to cleanse, refine”), equivalent to dē- de- + faec- (stem of faex “dregs, sediment”) + -ātus -ate 1

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Word History and Origins

Origin of defecate1

C16: from Latin dēfaecāre to cleanse from dregs, from de- + faex sediment, dregs

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Example Sentences

So in the midst of a winter gale, he stepped out of their igloo, defecated, and honed the feces into a frozen blade, which he sharpened with a spray of saliva.

In comparison, the three types of sparrows were both present in the field and defecating a lot.

When a figbird ingests fig fruits, it defecates the seeds onto an upper branch.

The woman “was so shaken that she defecated on herself and ran to the bathroom to clean herself up” before being picked up at the office by her mother, according to the lawsuit.

If an infected bird defecates on the ground under a feeder with spilled seed and another bird flies down, picks up a seed and ingests the feces, that other bird can also become infected.

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