intimate
/ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/ adjective, noun, verb
Forms intimates intimating intimated
- adjective Closely acquainted; familiar. “an intimate friend”
- adjective Personal; private. “an intimate setting”
- adjective (euphemistic) Pertaining to sex organs or underwear.
- adjective (euphemistic) Pertaining to sexual acts or a sexual relationship. “She enjoyed some intimate time alone with her husband.”
- adjective Pertaining to details that require great familiarity to know. “The candidate showed an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of politics.”
- adjective Very finely mixed. “Black powder consists of an intimate mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur.”
- noun A very close friend. “Only a couple of intimates had ever read his writing.”
- noun (in the plural intimates) 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 (ambitransitive) To suggest or disclose (something) discreetly. “He intimated that we should leave before the argument escalated.”
- verb (transitive, India) To notify. “I will intimate you when the details are available.”
Synonyms
thick bosom buddy bosom friend cater-cousin intimate apparel hint confidant adumbrate insinuate suggest cozy informal familiar sexual inner internal knowledgeable versed
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.
From a substantivization of the above adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
From Latin intimātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Cognate with French intimer.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Innermost; inward; internal; deep-seated; hearty. "I knew from intimate impulse." Milton.
- adjective Near; close; direct; thorough; complete.
- noun An intimate friend or associate; a confidant. Gov. of the Tongue.
- verb To announce; to declare; to publish; to communicate; to make known. [Obs.]
Etymology [Formerly intime, L. intimus, a superl. corresponding to the compar. interior cf. F. intime. The form intimate is due to confusion with intimate, v. t. See Interior.]
Etymology [L. intimatus, p. p. of intimare to put, bring, drive, or press into, to announce, make known, from intimus the inmost. See Intimate, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “intimate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details