belate

B3E1L1A1T1E1
/bɪˈleɪt/

verb

To impede; cause something to be late; delay; benight.

OriginEnglish late ← Middle English bi- ← Old English be- →
Scrabble 8
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Meanings

verbbelate (third-person singular simple present belates, present participle belating, simple past and past participle belated)

present singular third person belates · participle present belating · participle past belated · past belated

  1. transitiveTo impede; cause something to be late; delay; benight.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
delay

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éps
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁épi
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₁pi
  5. Proto-Germanic*bi
  6. Proto-Germanic*bi-
  7. Proto-West Germanic*bi-
  8. Old Englishbe-
  9. Middle Englishbi-
  10. Englishbe-
  11. Englishlate
  12. Englishbelate

From be- + late.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

beatlebaleetBalete
Cite this entry
APA

belate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/belate

MLA

“belate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/belate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “belate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/belate.

Source: belate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.