Nucleates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To form or initiate the nucleus of something
2. To bring together particles or components into a central core or point
3. To act as a catalyst in the aggregation or clustering of elements into a defined shape or structure

Etymology: "Nucleates" is the third-person singular present form of "nucleate," so it traces back to that base verb. "Nucleate" comes from "nucleus," the Latin word for the kernel of a nut, itself a diminutive of "nux," meaning nut. The Latin "nucleus" gave English a word for any central core, and the verb built from it took on the sense of gathering things around such a core, the way a crystal begins forming around a single point or a cluster of molecules collects around a seed particle.

Synonyms: initiates, commences