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.
1
To enlarge; to make bigger.
The eye doctor put drops in my eye to dilate the pupil so he could see the nerve better.
2
To become wider or larger; to expand.
His heart dilates and glories in his strength.
3
Ambitransitive To speak largely and copiously; to dwell in narration; to enlarge; with "on" or "upon".
Do me the favour to dilate at full / What hath befallen of them and thee till now.c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
But still they on their ancient joys dilate.1810, George Crabbe, The Borough:
1 more example
Houellebecq’s men[…] dilate lovingly upon the makes and models of cars and appliances, and the subsidiary brands of hospitality and conglomerates.2024 October 24, Judith Shulevitz, “Michel Houellebecq Has Some Fresh Predictions. Be Afraid.”, in The Atlantic:
4
Medicine, SciencesAmbitransitive To use a dilator to widen (something, such as a vagina).
An experimenter in New York has recently advocated what he is pleased to call temporary forcible dilatation of the trachea in the treatment of membranous croup, his idea being to introduce into the trachea a dilator and to forcibly dilate, every few hours if need be, and he reports favorable results.1896, “Society Proceedings”, in The Chicago Medical Recorder, volume 10, page 62:
In very tight and obstinate stricture I sometimes dilate every day, but as soon as it has been stretched up to 23 or 24, I dilate every other day, or at greater intervals, keeping the instrument in place several minutes.1911, Abraham Wolbarst, Gonorrhea in the Male: A Practical Guide to Its Treatment, page 148:
2 more examples
He gave her some of the dilators he used to dilate her vagina shortly after the surgery and encouraged her to do it frequently.2010, Kehinde Adeola Ayeni, Feasts of Phantoms, Fisher King Press, →ISBN, page 148:
It is important to realize that a number of these women do not want to have their vaginismus treated but only to achieve pregnancy. […] The use of hard plastic rods with increasing diameters, a sort of pseudopenis, can be useful, provided it is explained to the woman that these rods are not used to dilate her vagina but are a means of training the relaxation of her pelvic muscles and of getting these muscles under control.2012, Wolf Eicher, Götz Kockott, Sexology, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN:
Etymology First attested in 1471, in Middle English; borrowed from Latin dīlātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 2 for more.
1
Archaic, Obsolete Carried in different ways, spread, abroad, dispersed, published.
Returne the lords this voyce, we aré their creature : And it is fit, a good, and honeſt prince, Whom they, out of their bounty, haue inſtucted With ſo dilate, and abſolute a power, Should owe the office of it, to their ſeruice ; And good of all, and euery citizen.1603 (first performance; published 1605), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Seianus his Fall. A Tragœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act I, page 370:
dilate
verb
Etymology First attested in 1399, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dilaten (“to delay, tarry”), borrowed from Latin dīlātus, perfect passive participle of Latin dīfferō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)). If so, Doublet of defer and differ; see also infer, relate and refer, collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prefer and prelate among others. Alternatively, from Latin dīlātō, see Etymology 1.