intimate
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L322680 on Wikidata ↗verb
- suggest subtly
adjective
- intimate
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/ / /ˈɪn.tɪ.meɪt/
adj
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin intimātus, the perfect passive participle of intimō (“to put or bring into, to impress, to make familiar”) (see -ate (adjective forming suffix)), from intimus (“inmost, innermost, most intimate”), superlative of intus (“within”), from in (“in”); see interior.
- Closely acquainted; familiar.
“an intimate friend”
“He and his sister deeply valued their intimate relationship as they didn't have much else to live for.”
- Personal; private.
“an intimate setting”
- Pertaining to sex organs or underwear.
“Intimate apparel departments have separate sections for bras and panties; within those sections, our intimate apparel firm would have its bras displayed separately from its panties.”
- Pertaining to sexual acts or a sexual relationship.
“She enjoyed some intimate time alone with her husband.”
“The man, who had been arrested for being intimate with a donkey, admitted the conduct in question but claimed that the donkey had not been a donkey when he met her at a nightclub last Saturday night, but rather a prostitute.”
- Pertaining to details that require great familiarity to know.
“The candidate showed an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of politics.”
“Grélard et al.⁸⁷ determined the intimate structure of pseudoviral particles of hepatitis B subvirus using solid-state NMR, light scattering, and cryo-electron microscopy.”
- Very finely mixed.
“Black powder consists of an intimate mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur.”
noun
Etymology: From a substantivization of the above adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
- A very close friend.
“Only a couple of intimates had ever read his writing.”
- Women's underwear, sleepwear, or lingerie, especially offered for sale in a store.
“You'll find bras and panties in the intimates section upstairs.”
verb
Etymology: From Latin intimātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Cognate with French intimer.
- To suggest or disclose (something) discreetly.
“He intimated that we should leave before the argument escalated.”
“And ſince this Family, called Ciu, which now holdeth the Souereigntie, hath reigned, it is called Min [translating 明 (Míng)], which intimateth Splendour, and by vſuall addition of one ſyllable Ta-min [translating 大明 (Dàmíng)], that is, the Kingdome of Great Splendour, Brightneſſe or Glory.”
- To notify.
“I will intimate you when the details are available.”