emaciate

/ɪˈmeɪ̯.ʃiːˌeɪ̯t/

//ɪˈmeɪ̯.ʃiːˌeɪ̯t// verb

"emaciate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“emaciate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make extremely thin or wasted.

Corpus desk

Index EN-emaciate · emaciate · English

emaciate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for emaciate
PropertyValue
Headwordemaciate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪˈmeɪ̯.ʃiːˌeɪ̯t/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “emaciate” in English

emaciatefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

emaciate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪˈmeɪ̯.ʃiːˌeɪ̯t/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for emaciate in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin ēmaciātus, perfect passive participle of ēmaciō (“to make lean, to cause to waste away”), from ex- (“out”) + maciēs (“leanness”), from macer (“thin”). The correct English form is emaciate, spelled E-M-A-C-I-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make extremely thin or wasted.
  2. 2
    To become extremely thin or wasted.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ēmaciātus, perfect passive participle of ēmaciō (“to make lean, to cause to waste away”), from ex- (“out”) + maciēs (“leanness”), from macer (“thin”).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "emaciate"?
"emaciate" is spelled E-M-A-C-I-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈmeɪ̯.ʃiːˌeɪ̯t/.
What does "emaciate" mean?
As a verb, "emaciate" means: To make extremely thin or wasted.
How do you pronounce "emaciate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emaciate" is /ɪˈmeɪ̯.ʃiːˌeɪ̯t/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "emaciate"?
Borrowed from Latin ēmaciātus, perfect passive participle of ēmaciō (“to make lean, to cause to waste away”), from ex- (“out”) + maciēs (“leanness”), from macer (“thin”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list