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tit·il·late

(tĭtl-āt′)

v. tit·il·lat·ed, tit·il·lat·ing, tit·il·lates

v.tr.

1. To stimulate by touching lightly; tickle.

2. To excite (another) pleasurably, superficially or erotically.

v.intr.

To excite another, especially in a superficial, pleasurable manner: "a steamy story of sex and violence, adultery and murder, designed to titillate as well as to shock" (John Guy).

[Latin tītillāre, tītillāt-, to tickle.]

titil·later n.

titil·lat′ing·ly adv.

tit′il·lation n.

titil·la′tive adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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