nucleated
|nu-cle-at-ed|
🇺🇸
/ˈnuːkliˌeɪtɪd/
🇬🇧
/ˈnjuːkliˌeɪtɪd/
(nucleate)
formed around a center
Etymology
'nucleate' (and by extension 'nucleated') originates from Latin, specifically the noun 'nucleus', meaning 'kernel' or 'nut'.
'nucleus' in Latin gave rise to Late/Medieval Latin forms such as 'nucleare'/'nucleatus' and from these the verb/adjective 'nucleate' entered modern English (19th century scientific usage) and produced the adjective 'nucleated'.
Initially associated with a literal 'kernel' or 'core', the word evolved in scientific contexts to mean 'having or forming a nucleus' or 'clustered around a center', a sense that persists today.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'nucleate': to form or cause to form into a nucleus or nuclei; to initiate aggregation around a central point.
The vapour nucleated into droplets on the cold surface, and many of them nucleated around dust particles.
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Adjective 1
clustered or formed around a central point or nucleus; concentrated centrally (used of settlements, populations, structures).
The region has several small nucleated villages rather than dispersed farms.
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Last updated: 2025/11/30 02:50