| Front | vellicate \VEL-i-kayt\ |
|---|---|
| Back | verb tr., intr. 1. To twitch or to cause to twitch. 2. To pluck, nip, irritate, etc. [From Latin vellicare, frequentative of vellere (to pull, pluck, or twitch).The great lexicographer Samuel Johnson used this word in one of his definitions "Cough: A convulsion of the lungs, vellicated by some sharp serosity" and broke one of the premier commandments of dictionary making: don't define a word using a harder word (serosity refers to serum: watery fluid in an animal body).] "I have seen old folk flung to the ground by these paroxysmal and vellicating vehicles." - Paul Johnson; And Another Thing; The Spectator (London, UK); Jun 25, 2005. |
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