Osculate
/ˈɒs.kjʊ.leɪt/noun
To kiss, especially formally or scientifically.
Did you know?In Latin, osculum meant both “little mouth” and “kiss,” while osculum was also used for a small opening or aperture—linking kissing with the language of mouths and portals.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃ews- / *ous-
“Mouth or opening”
Classical Latin
Latin
ōs
“Mouth, face, or opening”
Classical Latin
Latin
ōsculum
“Little mouth; kiss”
Classical Latin
Latin
ōsculārī
“To kiss”
17th Century
English
osculate
“To kiss; later, to touch or meet at a point”
Modern English
English
osculate
“To kiss, or in geometry, to touch with unusually close contact”