levigate

English

Alternative forms

• laevigate, lævigate (nonstandard)

Etymology

From lēvigātus, past participle of Latin lēvigō (“I smoothen”), 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.
3. (transitive) To separate finer grains from coarser ones by suspension in a liquid.
4. (transitive, rare) To lighten.
5. (transitive, rare) To belittle.

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.
2. (rare) Made less harsh or burdensome; alleviated.
   • 1531, Thomas Elyot, edited by Ernest Rhys, The Boke Named the Governour […] (Everyman’s Library), London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent & Co; New York, N.Y.: E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton & Co, published [1907], →OCLC:

     his labours beinge levigate

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) IPA^(key): /leː.u̯iˈɡaː.te/, [ɫ̪eːu̯ɪˈɡäːt̪ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /le.viˈɡa.te/, [leviˈɡäːt̪e]

Participle

lēvigāte

1. vocative masculine singular of lēvigātus

Spanish

Verb

levigate

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