Library / English Dictionary

OSCULATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.

Example:

She kissed her grandfather on the forehead when she entered the room

Synonyms:

buss; kiss; osculate; snog

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "osculate" is one way to...):

touch (make physical contact with, come in contact with)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "osculate"):

peck; smack (kiss lightly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

Sam cannot osculate Sue

Derivation:

osculation (the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof))

osculator (someone who kisses)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Have at least three points in common with

Example:

these two surfaces osculate

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "osculate" is one way to...):

share (have in common)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something ----s something

Derivation:

osculation ((mathematics) a contact of two curves (or two surfaces) at which they have a common tangent)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Be intermediate between two taxonomic groups

Example:

These species osculate

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "osculate" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Credits