supplicate definition

English supplicate definition

Etymology

From Late Middle English supplicaten (“to request (that someone do something)”) [and other forms],^[1] borrowed from Latin supplicātus (“prayed”) + Middle English -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs).^[2] Supplicātus is the perfect passive participle of supplicō (“to pray, supplicate; to beg, humbly beseech”), 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”)).^[3]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsʌplɪkeɪt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsʌpləˌkeɪt/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: sup‧pli‧cate

Verb

supplicate (third-person singular simple present supplicates, present participle supplicating, simple past and past participle supplicated)

1. (transitive)
   1. To make a humble request to (someone, especially a person in authority); to beg, to beseech, to entreat.

      Synonyms: implore, obsecrate, petition, plead, (obsolete) pray, sifflicate, (obsolete) thig

      • 1642 October 29 (Gregorian calendar), “Baron Henden’s Petition for Leave of Absence”, in Journals of the House of Lords, Beginning Anno Decimo Octavo Caroli Regis, 1642 (House of Lords), volume V, [London: House of Lords of the United Kingdom], →OCLC, page 408, column 2:

        "Your Petitioner, in all Submiſſiveneſs, moſt humbly ſupplicateth your Honourable Lordſhips, to be pleaſed to diſpenſe vvith your Petitioner's Attendance, until God ſhall better enable him." Ordered, That this Houſe doth diſpenſe vvith Mr. Baron [Edward] Henden’s Abſence,^{[sic – meaning presence]} until his Health vvill permit him to come hither vvith Safety.

      • 1788, Peter Pindar [pseudonym; John Wolcot], “The Argument”, in An Apologetic Postscript to Ode upon Ode. […], new edition, London: […] G. Kearsley, […], →OCLC, page 6:

        Peter nobly acknowledgeth error, ſuſpecteth an interfering Devil, and ſupplicateth his Reader— […]

      • 1835, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], “An Adventure”, in Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes. […], volume I, London: Saunders and Otley, […], →OCLC, book I (The Time, the Place, and the Men), page 57:

        [H]e had been conjoined with Petrarch to supplicate Clement VI. to remove the Holy See from Avignon to Rome.

      • 1864, Alfred Tennyson, “[Experiments.] Boädicea”, in Enoch Arden, &c., London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, stanza 2, page 169:

        Did they hear me, would they listen, did they pity me supplicating? / Shall I heed them in their anguish? shall I brook to be supplicated?

      • 1909, J[ohn] A[llen] F[itzgerald] Gregg, edited by A[lexander] F[rancis] Kirkpatrick, The Wisdom of Solomon: In the Revised Version […] (The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, →OCLC, Wisdom of Solomon XIII:18, page 131:

        Yea for health he calleth upon that which is weak, / And for life he beseecheth that which is dead, / And for aid he supplicateth that which hath least experience, […]

        From the Revised Version of the Bible.

      1. (specifically, Oxford University, archaic) Of a member of the university, or an alumnus or alumna of another university seeking a degree ad eundem: to make a formal request (to the university) that an academic degree be awarded to oneself.
         • 1691, [Anthony Wood], “WILLIAM ALLEY”, in Athenæ Oxonienses. An Exact History of All the Writers and Bishops who have had Their Education in the Most Ancient and Famous University of Oxford from the Fifteenth Year of King Henry the Seventh, Dom. 1500, to the End of the Year 1690. […], volume I (Extending to the 16th Year of King Charles I. Dom. 1640), London: […] Tho[mas] Bennet […], →OCLC, column 127:

           In Nov. 1561 he [William Alley] ſupplicated the venerable congregation of Regents of the Univerſity that the Degree of Bach[elor] of Divinity might be conferr'd on him: vvhich being granted, he ſupplicated for that of Doctor; and that being granted alſo, he vvas admitted to them both ſucceſſively, vvithout any mention at all of Incorporation.

      2. (specifically, religion) To make a humble request to (a deity or other spiritual being) in a prayer; to entreat as a supplicant.

         to supplicate the Deity

         • 1664, Tho[mas] Worden, “I Come Now to Speak of the High Priest under the Law, which was a Type of Jesus Christ also”, in The Types Unvailed, or, The Gospel Pick’t Out of the Legal Ceremonies, whereby We may Compare the Substance with the Shadow. […], London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 233:

           [T]hou maiſt freely lay open thy mind to him [Jesus] in prayer, vvhat ever diſtreſs or vvant thou art in come to him in prayer and thou needſt not fear he vvill vvell knovv vvhat it is thou ſupplicateſt him about; […]

         • 1799 October, J. S., “The Dispositions which a Reader of the Holy Scriptures ought to Have, that He may Reap the Fruits of His Studies and Meditations”, in The Aurora; or, The Dawn of Genuine Truth: Being a Repository of Spiritual, Rational, and Useful Knowledge. […], volume I, number VII, London: […] Aurora Press, […], published November 1799, →OCLC, page 267:

           [I]t is from him only [Jesus] that man hath illumination, which he surely will receive, if in true humiliation of heart he supplicateth Him in the love of truth, and for the sake of living according to what the Divine Truth teacheth; […]

   2. To ask or request (something) humbly and sincerely, especially from a person in authority; to beg or entreat for.

      Synonym: solicit

      to supplicate blessings on Christian efforts to spread the gospel

      • 1788 October, D. [pseudonym], “Letter from an English Gentleman in France to His Brother in England”, in The Lady’s Magazine; or, Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, Appropriated Solely to Their Use and Amusement, London: […] G. G. J. and J. Robinson, […], →OCLC, page 523, column 1:

        [A]nd vvhat art thou that ſupplicateſt my aſſiſtance?

      • 1847, “The Last Resurrection”, in A Voice in the Wilderness; or, The Broad and Narrow Way, Edinburgh: Myles Macphail; London: Charles Edmonds, →OCLC, page 150:

        The blood of atonement thou never soughtest. The grace of God thou never supplicatedst—they were unnecessary and contemptuous to thee, and now thou must bear thy burden alone, […]

2. (intransitive)
   1. To humbly request for something, especially to someone in a position of authority; to beg, to beseech, to entreat.

      Synonyms: sifflicate, (obsolete) thig

      • 1613, Andrew Willet, “The Third Generall Controversie, Concerning Councels”, in Synopsis Papismi, that is, A Generall View of Papistrie: […], 4th edition, London: […] Felix Kyngston, for Thomas Man, and are to be sold by Henry Fetherston, […], →OCLC, book I, page 122:

        Thus alſo the Church of Svveueland ſupplicateth to the Emperour of Germanie, if ſo bee that in time, vvee may not haue opportunitie for a generall Councell, yet at the lest your Maiestie may appoint a prouinciall aſſembly, &c.

      • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Frendship. XXVII.”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC, page 163:

        A man cannot ſometimes brooke to Supplicate or Beg: […] But all theſe Things, are Gracefull in a Frends Mouth, vvhich are bluſhing in a Mans Ovvne.

      • 1645 March 5 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 23 February 1645]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC, page 158:

        [I]n the Church is the miraculous shrine of the Madona w^th Pope Paul III. brought barefooted to the place, supplicating for a victory over the Turks in 1464.

      • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XVI. Miss Clarissa Harlowe, to Miss Howe.”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume II, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson;  […], →OCLC, page 97:

        Upon this preſumption, he ſupplicates, vvith the utmoſt earneſtneſs, that I vvill not give vvay to the malice of his enemies.

      • 1790, George Somers Clarke, Oedipus, King of Thebes, a Tragedy, from the Greek of Sophocles: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press; and sold by J. and J. Fletcher; and by Mess. Rivington, […]; and Mess. Payne, […], →OCLC, act V, scene iii, page 86:

        And vvhat favour is it, vvhich thou thus ſupplicateſt to obtain of me?

      • 1807, William Wordsworth, “Ode to Duty”, in Poems, in Two Volumes, volume I, London: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], →OCLC, page 72:

        Through no disturbance of my soul, / Or strong compunction in me wrought, / I supplicate for thy controul; […]

      1. (specifically, Oxford University) Of a member of the university, or an alumnus or alumna of another university seeking a degree ad eundem: to formally request that an academic degree be awarded to oneself.
         • 1691, [Anthony Wood], “ROBERT TALBOT”, in Athenæ Oxonienses. An Exact History of All the Writers and Bishops who have had Their Education in the Most Ancient and Famous University of Oxford from the Fifteenth Year of King Henry the Seventh, Dom. 1500, to the End of the Year 1690. […], volume I (Extending to the 16th Year of King Charles I. Dom. 1640), London: […] Tho[mas] Bennet […], →OCLC, column 87:

           He [Robert Talbot] vvas educated […] in Logicals and Philoſophicals in New Coll[ege] of vvhich he became Fellovv (after he had ſerved tvvo Years of probation) an[no] 1523. and left it 5 Years after, being then only Bach[elor] of Arts, ſupplicated for the Degree of Maſter 1529, but not admitted, as I can find in the Regiſter of that time.

         • 1691, [Anthony Wood], “Fasti Oxonienses”, in Athenæ Oxonienses. An Exact History of All the Writers and Bishops who have had Their Education in the Most Ancient and Famous University of Oxford from the Fifteenth Year of King Henry the Seventh, Dom. 1500, to the End of the Year 1690. […], volume I (Extending to the 16th Year of King Charles I. Dom. 1640), London: […] Tho[mas] Bennet […], →OCLC, column 642:

           Incorporations, Or ſuch vvho have taken a Degree in another Univerſity, and have been embodied or taken into the boſom of this of Oxon., and have enjoyed the ſame Liberties and Privileges, as if they had taken their Degree here. […] Rich[ard] Kirkby Maſt[er] of Arts of this Univ[ersity] and Bach[elor] of Divin[ity] of the Univ[ersity] of Paris, vvas incorporated Bach. of Div. of this Univerſity.—VVhich being done, he ſupplicated the ſame day to be admitted or licenſed to proceed in Divinity; but vvhether granted it appears not.

Conjugation

Derived terms

• supplicated (adjective)
• supplicating (adjective, noun)
• unsupplicated

Related terms

Translations

References

Further reading

• supplication on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Italian supplicate definition

Etymology 1

Verb

supplicate

1. inflection of supplicare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

supplicate f pl

1. feminine plural of supplicato

Latin supplicate definition

Verb

supplicāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of supplicō