Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dissimilate

/dɪˈsɪmɪleɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
dis-sim-i-late
IPA
/dɪˈsɪmɪleɪt/
14
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make dissimilar or unlike.

Transitive verb

verb

To become dissimilar or unlike.

Intransitive verb

Etymology

First attested in 1841; borrowed from Medieval Latin dissimilātus, perfect passive participle of dissimilō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), hypercorrected form of Classical Latin dissimulō, from dis- + simulō, from similis (“similar, the same as”); the vocalism was perhaps influenced by assimilate, compare dissimulate. Cognate with French dissimiler; doublet of dissemble, dissimulate, and dissimule.

Origin

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Questions

How do you pronounce dissimilate?
The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈsɪmɪleɪt/.
What does dissimilate mean?
To make dissimilar or unlike.
Where does dissimilate come from?
First known use: First attested in 1841.

How to pronounce dissimilate

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