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delate

verb
de·​late | \ di-ˈlāt How to pronounce delate (audio) , dē-\
delated; delating

Definition of delate

transitive verb

1 : accuse, denounce
2 : report, relate
Other Words from delate Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about delate

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Other Words from delate

delation \ di-​ˈlā-​shən How to pronounce delation (audio) , dē-​ \ noun
delator \ di-​ˈlā-​tər How to pronounce delator (audio) , dē-​ \ noun

Did You Know?

To "delate" someone is to "hand down" that person to a court of law. In Latin, "delatus" is the unlikely-looking past participle of deferre, meaning "to bring down, report, or accuse," which in turn comes from ferre, meaning "to carry." Not surprisingly, our word defer, meaning "to yield to the opinion or wishes of another," can also be traced back to "deferre." At one time, in fact, "defer" and "delate" had parallel meanings (both could mean "to carry down or away" or "to offer for acceptance"), but those senses are now obsolete. Today, you are most likely to encounter "delate" or its relatives "delation" and "delator" in the context of medieval tribunals, although the words can also relate to modern ecclesiastical tribunals.

Examples of delate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 The indictment said Schulte in March and June of 2016 altered a computer system operated by the U.S. Intelligence Agency to grant himself access to the system, enabling him to delate records of his activities and deny others access to the system. — CBS News, "Former CIA employee charged over leaking of classified hacking tools," 19 June 2018 The indictment said Schulte in March and June of 2016 altered a computer system operated by the U.S. Intelligence Agency to grant himself access to the system, enabling him to delate records of his activities and deny others access to the system. — Time, "Ex-CIA Employee Charged With Leaking Agency Hacking Tools," 19 June 2018

First Known Use of delate

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for delate

Latin delatus (past participle of deferre to bring down, report, accuse), from de- + latus, past participle of ferre to bear — more at tolerate

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