constellate
/ˈkɑn.stɛll.e͜ɪt/
constellate means to combine as a cluster. It carries an Arena rating of 1978, earned across 62 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, constellate ranks #434 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #464 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #715 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,291 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
constellate is pronounced /ˈkɑn.stɛll.e͜ɪt/.
Why “constellate” is a great word
CONSTELLATE — [Verb] To form or cause to form into a cluster or group, as stars in a constellation. From the Latin constellatus ("starred"), past participle of constellare, from con- ("together") + stella ("star"). Unlike "cluster," which describes any close group, or "scatter," which implies random dispersal, to constellate is to gather disparate points into a luminous, meaningful pattern. It is fireflies winking into sudden, synchronous alignment above a dark field; disparate memories arranging themselves into a single, brilliant story; or isolated points of light coalescing into the idea of a town from a dark hillside. It is the quiet human faith that fragments are meant to find their whole.
Etymology
From Latin constēllātus (“starred”), past participle of constēllō. Equivalent to Latin constēllō + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
verb
- To combine as a cluster.
- To fit, adorn (as if) with constellations.
- To (form a) cluster.e.g.“It’s no surprise that so much fiction constellates around the subject of Henry and his wives.” — 2013, Hilary Mantel, “Royal Bodies”, in London Review of Books, volume 35, number 4:
- To shine with united radiance, or one general light.e.g.“[…] the several things which are wont most to Engage and Heighten our affections, do, in a peculiar and transcendent manner, Shine forth and Constellate in God.” — 1660, Robert Boyle, Seraphick Love, 4th edition (published under the title Some Motives and Incentives to the Love of God), London: H. Herringman, published 1665, page 52:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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