Connotating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of signifying meanings that go beyond the literal sense while suggesting underlying emotions or implications linked to a term
2. The action of indicating additional layers of meaning and evoking feelings or associations that extend beyond plain interpretation
3. The act of expressing implicit meanings through a word while also invoking emotional responses or associations that transcend its direct definition

Etymology: "Connotating" is the present participle of "connotate," a verb first attested in 1596. It was borrowed from Medieval Latin "connotatus," the past participle of "connotare," which combined "con-" (together) with "notare" (to mark or note). The idea behind the root is marking something alongside something else: a word carries its main sense, but it also gets a second mark stamped on it by its surroundings and history. The English verb is a doublet of "connote," meaning that both words descend from the same Latin source but arrived by different routes and took different shapes. "Connote" came in through the usual channels, while "connotate" was formed directly from the Medieval Latin participle, giving it the -ate ending that English often uses for verbs borrowed from Latin. The two forms have existed side by side ever since, with "connote" being the standard choice in most dictionaries and everyday usage.