Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vagitate

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
vagi-tate
IPA
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To wander or move at random.

verb

To wail, mewl (as an infant).

Example Sentences

Etymology

Attested earliest as a ghost word in the 1928 volume of the New English Dictionary On Historical Principles (NED). Some later uses may have been based (directly or indirectly) on this entry. The editors of the NED interpreted it as a borrowing from Latin vagitō, vagitāre, an obscure medieval verb Others read here "per Hispaniam e palatio vagitant". built on the root of Classical Latin vagor, vagārī (“to ramble, stroll about”), from vagus (“wandering”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: vagitō, vāgiō

Inflected Forms

Questions

What does vagitate mean?
To wander or move at random.
Where does vagitate come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce vagitate

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