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Added 9 October 2026

supplicate

/ˈsʌplɪkeɪt/ verb

In Latin: supplicō, obsecrō, precor Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about supplicate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Ask humbly (for something).
He supplicated the King for clemency
Make a humble, earnest petition.
supplicate for permission
Ask for humbly or earnestly, as in prayer.
supplicate God's blessing

Origin

PIE word *upó From Late Middle English supplicaten (“to request (that someone do something)”) [and other forms], borrowed from Latin supplicātus (“prayed”) + Middle English -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). Supplicātus is the perfect passive participle of supplicō (“to pray, supplicate; to beg, humbly beseech”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from sup- (variant of sub- (prefix meaning ‘below, beneath, under’)) + plicō (“to bend, flex; to fold; to roll up”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- (“to fold; to plait, weave”)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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