Library / English Dictionary

SALIVATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Produce saliva

Example:

We salivated when he described the great meal

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

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

act involuntarily; act reflexively (act in an uncontrolled manner)

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

dribble; drivel; drool; slabber; slaver; slobber (let saliva drivel from the mouth)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

saliva (a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches)

salivation (the secretion of saliva)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be envious, desirous, eager for, or extremely happy about something

Example:

She was salivating over the raise she anticipated

Synonyms:

drool; salivate

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

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

covet (wish, long, or crave for (something, especially the property of another person))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue salivate over the results of the experiment

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