implicate
/ˈɪmplɪkeɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.84 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To imply without entailing; to have as an implicature.
adj
Intertwined, enfolded, twisted together; wrapped up (with), entangled, involved (in).
adj
Intertwined, enfolded, twisted together; wrapped up (with), entangled, involved (in).
Example Sentences
- "The evidence implicates involvement of top management in the scheme."
- "But it is of no use talking now; the servants will soon be stirring, and it would be rather awkward to be found here." "For you, perhaps, madam," sneered Sir George. "Rather for yourself," replied she, with the greatest composure; "you might be implicated in the charge of murder.""
- "I shall cancel, without further provocation, the next lecture engagement that is implicated with a peep o' day train."
- "Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism."
- "What did Nixon's visit to China implicate for Russia?"
Etymology
First attested in the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English implicaten (poorly attested), from implicat(e) (“wrapped, entwined; involved, connected (with)”, possibly also used as the past participle of implicaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin implicātus, perfect passive participle of implicō (“to entangle, involve”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from plicō (“to fold”). Doublet of imply and employ.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *pleḱ-, implicaten, implicātus, implicat
Usage
Inflected Forms
implicates (present, singular)
implicating (participle, present)
implicated (participle, past)
implicated (past)
implicates (plural)
more implicate (comparative)
most implicate (superlative)
Derived Forms
Phrases
implicate order