titivate

• tidivate, tiddivate, tittivate

A modification of the earlier spelling tidivate, perhaps based on tidy + -vate, on the pattern of words such as cultivate and renovate.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈtɪt.ɪ.veɪt/, /ˈtɪt.ə.veɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

titivate (third-person singular simple present titivates, present participle titivating, simple past and past participle titivated)

1. (transitive) To make small improvements or alterations to (one's appearance etc.); to add some finishing touches to, to spruce up or touch up.
   • 1950, Mervyn Peake, Gormenghast:

     Had she spent the best part of a day in titivating herself in order that she might sit plunged in darkness, with nothing but her feet and her nose revealed?