v.
Pronunciation: ' nü-kl ē - ˌ ā t, ' nyü-
Function: verb
Inflected Form: -at · ed ; -at · ing
Etymology: Late Latin nucleatus, past participle of nucleare to become stony, from Latin nucleus
Date: circa 1864
transitive verb
1 : to form into a nucleus : CLUSTER
2 : to act as a nucleus for
3 : to supply nuclei to
intransitive verb
1 : to form a nucleus
2 : to act as a nucleus
3 : to begin to form
– nu · cle · ation \ ˌ nü-kl ē - ' ā -sh ə n, ˌ nyü- \ noun
– nu · cle · a · tor \ ' nü-kl ē - ˌ ā -t ə r, ' nyü- \ noun