English

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Etymology

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Back-formation from flotation. Equivalent to float +‎ -ate.

Verb

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flotate (third-person singular simple present flotates, present participle flotating, simple past and past participle flotated)

  1. (nonstandard and non-native speakers’ English) To float.
    • 1996 December 30, TMolina, “Why do clouds float??”, in sci.geo.meteorology[1] (Usenet), retrieved 2022-06-05:
      Clouds do not flotate, they stay.
    • 1998 February 12, Brodkin Panu, “Disk brakes for tandems”, in rec.bicycles.tech[2] (Usenet), retrieved 2022-06-05:
      OK. But I think that dragging noises does not bother so much on motorcycles. It doesn't matter much wich [sic] part flotates - as long as the brake pads doesn't touch the rotor when not braking..
    • 1998 December 19, Tucson Coyote, “Looking for spectacluar GPL crashes!”, in rec.autos.simulators[3] (Usenet), retrieved 2022-06-05:
      Course the funniest one sent to me was by one guy who crashed, and riccocheted all over the start finish secition of Spa, bouncing off the sky and flotating up in the air like he was caught up in some sort of invisible twister, before hitting the ground!

Spanish

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Verb

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flotate

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