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It's plain that constellate is related to constellation, and, indeed, things that "constellate" (or "are constellated") cluster together like stars in a constellation. Both words derive ultimately from the Latin word for "star," which is stella. Constellation (which came to us by way of Middle French from Late Latin constellation-, constellatio) entered the language first-it dates to at least the 14th century. Constellate didn't appear until a full 300 years later.
Synonyms
Examples of constellate in a Sentence
the museum has constellated many of the artist's most glorious paintings into one stunning exhibition
Recent Examples on the Web
To make sense of a correspondence, however complete or incomplete, is to constellate fragmentary evidence, and make surmises about what is missing (including what may not have been apparent to the letter-writers themselves).
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Langdon Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 25 Feb. 2020
Kathleen Shafer tells Judd’s story, and constellating stories about art, history, landscape, weather, the mysterious Marfa lights, economics, sociology and, of course, real estate.
—Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 15 Dec. 2017
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Langdon Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 25 Feb. 2020
Kathleen Shafer tells Judd’s story, and constellating stories about art, history, landscape, weather, the mysterious Marfa lights, economics, sociology and, of course, real estate.
—Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 15 Dec. 2017
Dictionary Entries Near constellate
Cite this Entry
“Constellate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constellate. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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