maculate

M3A1C3U1L1A1T1E1
/ˈmækjʊleɪt//ˈmækjʊlət//ˈmækjələt/

verb

To spot; to stain; to blur.

Similar
defiledimpuredirtysoileduncleantarnishstainsully
OriginMiddle English maculaten ← Latin maculātus →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

verbmaculate (third-person singular simple present maculates, present participle maculating, simple past and past participle maculated)

present singular third person maculates · participle present maculating · participle past maculated · past maculated

  1. To spot; to stain; to blur.

    they wolde nat maculate the honour of their people with suche a reproche

    1531, Thomas Elyot, The Boke Named the Governour […], London: […] Tho[mas] Bertheleti, →OCLC
    1 more example

    There was a fresh smell in the air. Sidewalks began to be maculated with spreading areas of dryness

    1918, Louis Joseph Vance, “Chapter 21”, in The False Faces
  2. obsoleteparticiplepastpast participle of maculate

    That the honour of verteous gentil men, be nocht maculat vitht the vice ande inciuilite of vicius pretendit gentil men.

    c. 1550, The Complaynt of Scotland
adjectivemaculate (comparative more maculate, superlative most maculate)

comparative more maculate · superlative most maculate

  1. archaicpoeticMarked with spots or maculae; blotched.
  2. archaicpoeticDefiled, impure.

    [Les Misérables is] about the struggle of a mistreated man as he rises to the top, along with a mortal conflict between this maculate virtuous man and an immaculate pursuing demon.

    1998 May 25, The New Republic

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivemorally blemished; stained or impure

Similar
defiledimpure

adjectivespotted or blotched

Similar
dirtysoiledunclean

verbmake dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically

Similar
tarnishstainsullydefile
Broader
spotfleckblob

verbspot, stain, or pollute

Similar
foulbefouldefile
Broader
dishonordisgracedishonour
Also see
befouldefiledefileddiscoloredfoulfreckimpuremaculatedstainsullytarnishvariegate

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinmaculātus
  2. Middle Englishmaculaten“to spoil, polute”
  3. Englishmaculate

First attested during the last quarter of the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English maculaten (“to spoil, polute”), borrowed from Latin maculātus, perfect passive participle of maculō (“to spot”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

More words from Middle English, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian опетнявам, покрит с петна
  • опетнявам (opetnjavam)To spot; to stain; to blur
  • покрит с петна (pokrit s petna)Marked with spots or maculae; blotched
Dutch gespikkeld, vlekkerig
  • gespikkeldMarked with spots or maculae; blotched
  • vlekkerigMarked with spots or maculae; blotched
French maculer, impur
  • maculerTo spot; to stain; to blur
  • impurDefiled; impure
Russian загрязнять, па́чкать
  • загрязнять (zagrjaznjatʹ)To spot; to stain; to blur
  • па́чкать (páčkatʹ)To spot; to stain; to blur
  • пятни́стый (pjatnístyj)Marked with spots or maculae; blotched
  • гря́зный (grjáznyj)Defiled; impure
Spanish macular, macular
  • macularTo spot; to stain; to blur
  • macularMarked with spots or maculae; blotched

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with maculate

immaculate
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

maculate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maculate

MLA

“maculate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maculate. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “maculate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maculate.

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