Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

flagellate

/ˈflæ.d͡ʒəˌleɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.88 in modern English

Syllables: flag-el-late
IPA: /ˈflæ.d͡ʒəˌleɪt/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To whip or scourge.

Transitive verb

verb

To harshly chide or chastise, to reprimand.

Transitive verb

verb

Of a spermatozoon, to move its tail back and forth.

Transitive verb

adj

Resembling a whip.

adj

Having flagella.

noun

Any organism that has flagella.

Example Sentences

"Red welts rising from a flagellated back"
"The gigantic egg sits, and the frantic and tiny sperm flagellates its tail to cross vast distances on its quest for dissolution in the huge egg."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₂-? Proto-Indo-European *-rós Latin flagrum Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lum Latin flagellum Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin flagellō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Latin flagellātuslbor. English flagellate First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin flagellātus perfect passive participle of flagellō (“to whip, flog”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Origin

First known use: First attested in 1623

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈflæ.d͡ʒəˌleɪt/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

flagellates (present, singular) flagellating (participle, present) flagellated (participle, past) flagellated (past) more flagellate (comparative) most flagellate (superlative) flagellates (plural)

Derived Forms

aflagellate amoeboflagellate biflagellate choanoflagellate dinoflagellate flagellation flagellative flagellator haemoflagellate helioflagellate hemoflagellate hexadecaflagellate

Frequently Paired Words

flagellum

Synonyms

flagellated whiplike lash-like flagellate protozoan flagellated protozoan mastigophoran mastigophore scourge

Rhymes With

adulate appellate prelate zealot stellate dinoflagellate helot lamellate flabellate patellate biflagellate scutellate

Questions

How do you pronounce flagellate?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈflæ.d͡ʒəˌleɪt/.
What does flagellate mean?: To whip or scourge.
Where does flagellate come from?: First known use: First attested in 1623.

How to pronounce flagellate

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “flagellate”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈflæ.d͡ʒəˌleɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “flagellate”.
Repeat and practice — Say “flagellate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.