# dilate

> English word · Verb · IPA /daɪˈleɪt/ · frequency rank #56,708

## Definitions
1. To enlarge; to make bigger.
2. To become wider or larger; to expand.
3. To speak largely and copiously; to dwell in narration; to enlarge; with "on" or "upon".
4. To use a dilator to widen (something, such as a vagina).

## Etymology
First attested in 1393, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dilaten, from Old French dilater, from Latin dīlātō (“to spread out”), from dī- + lātus (“wide”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of dilatate.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dilate