Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To make into a smooth, fine powder or paste, as by grinding when moist.
  • transitive verb To separate fine particles from coarse by grinding in water.
  • transitive verb To suspend in a liquid.
  • transitive verb To make smooth; polish.
  • adjective Smooth.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To lighten; make light of; belittle the importance of.
  • To rub or grind to a fine impalpable powder, as in a mortar. See levigation.
  • To plane; polish; make smooth.
  • Smooth as if polished; having a polished surface: applied in botany to leaves, seeds, etc. Also lævigate.
  • Lightened; alleviated.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective obsolete Made less harsh or burdensome; alleviated.
  • transitive verb To free from grit; to reduce to an impalpable powder or paste.
  • transitive verb To mix thoroughly, as liquids or semiliquids.
  • transitive verb To polish.
  • transitive verb To make smooth in action.
  • transitive verb Technically, to make smooth by rubbing in a moist condition between hard surfaces, as in grinding pigments.
  • adjective Made smooth, as if polished.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To make smooth or polish.
  • verb transitive To make into a smooth paste or fine powder.
  • verb transitive To separate finer grains from coarser ones by suspension in a liquid.
  • verb transitive, rare To lighten.
  • verb transitive, rare To belittle
  • adjective Smooth.
  • adjective rare Alleviated.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin lēvigāre, lēvigāt- : lēvis, smooth; see lei- in Indo-European roots + agere, to make, do; see ag- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From levigatus, past participle of Latin levigo ("I smoothen").

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Examples

  • But if you are neither disposed to burn nor excise, having first fomented with plenty hot water and turned out the anus, levigate myrrh, and having burnt galls and Egyptian alum, in the proportion of one and

    On Hemorrhoids 2007

  • Of squama aeris, as much as three specilla can contain, with the gluten of summer wheat: levigate, pound, form into pills, and give; it purges water downwards.

    On Regimen In Acute Diseases 2007

Comments

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  • levigate a smoooothe word

    January 14, 2007