Dilates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of expanding or enlarging an opening or cavity
2. The occurrence of an increase in size or volume in a particular area or structure
3. To make an opening or space bigger by stretching or spreading it out

Etymology: The verb "dilate" comes from Latin "dilatare," built from "di-" (apart, away) and "latus," meaning "wide." Its literal sense was therefore "to spread out" or "to make wide," and that physical notion of widening is still what the verb carries when a pupil or blood vessel grows larger. The word reached English in the late 1300s, passing through Old French "dilater" before appearing in Middle English around 1393. A surprising twist sits in the same family. English also acquired a separate verb "dilate" from Latin "dilatus," the past participle of "differre," which meant "to carry apart," "to put off," or "to delay." That sense, "to delay or tarry," shows up in Middle English around 1399. The two verbs share a spelling but descend from different Latin verbs, and they became fully distinct in meaning, with one dealing with space and the other with time.

Synonyms: expands, enlarges, widespread, stretches, broadens

Antonyms: contract, narrow, compress, restrict, shrink