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“vellicate”
vellicate (VIL i kayt") (verb), vellicates; vellicated; vellicating
1. To irritate by a squeeze between the thumb and finger, to pinch, or to cause a twitch: After correcting so many student papers, Mrs. Black’s eye muscles were vellicating so much that she had to put down her pen and take a break!
2. To touch a part of the body lightly in order to excite the surface nerves and to cause uneasiness, laughter, or involuntary muscular jerks and contractions: Fred liked to vellicate his baby brother on the soles of his feet because it made tiny Tim giggle a lot!
3. Etymology: from Latin vellicatus, past participle of vellicare and vellere, "to pluck, to pull, to twitch", which is of uncertain origin.
2. To touch a part of the body lightly in order to excite the surface nerves and to cause uneasiness, laughter, or involuntary muscular jerks and contractions: Fred liked to vellicate his baby brother on the soles of his feet because it made tiny Tim giggle a lot!
3. Etymology: from Latin vellicatus, past participle of vellicare and vellere, "to pluck, to pull, to twitch", which is of uncertain origin.
Word Entries at Get Words:
“vellicate”
vellicate (VIL i kayt")
To irritate by squeezing between the thumb and finger resulting in a pinch, or to cause a twitch or to touch a part of the body lightly in order to excite the surface nerves and to cause laughter, or involuntary muscular jerks and contractions is what this cate is discussing.
This entry is located in the following unit:
cate family of verbs
(page 6)