# intimate

Pronunciation: say "IN-ti-muht" /ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/

## Adjective

1. Personal and private, relating to one's innermost feelings or affairs.
   - Simple: About private things you do not share with most people.
   - _The letters revealed the intimate workings of a troubled marriage._
   - _She found the question far too intimate to answer in public._
2. Involved in or relating to a sexual relationship.
   - Simple: Having a sexual relationship with someone.
   - _She was reluctant to discuss her intimate life with reporters._
   - _The two coworkers became intimate during a long assignment abroad._
3. Closely acquainted with someone and on familiar, comfortable terms.
   - Simple: Knowing someone very well and feeling close to them.
   - _The two writers were intimate companions for most of their lives._
   - _He grew intimate with the family after years of shared holidays._
4. Relating to details so specific that only deep familiarity could reveal them.
   - Simple: About facts so detailed that only someone very close would know them.
   - _The biography drew on an intimate acquaintance with the artist's daily habits._
   - _Only a longtime resident has such an intimate grasp of the village's history._
7. Combined so thoroughly that the separate components are evenly and finely blended.
   - Simple: Mixed together so completely that the separate parts cannot be told apart.
   - _An intimate mixture of the powders ensures the reaction proceeds evenly._
   - _The two metal powders must form an intimate mixture before heating._
8. Said of a place or occasion: on a small scale, cozy and private, and warm and welcoming in feel.
   - Simple: Used about a small, cozy place or event that feels private, warm, and friendly.
   - _After years of stadium tours, the singer now prefers intimate venues._
   - _The restaurant's back room is quieter and more intimate than the main floor._

## Verb

Pronunciation: say "IN-ti-mayt" /ˈɪn.tɪ.meɪt/

5. To suggest or make something known in a discreet, indirect way.
   - Simple: To hint at something quietly instead of saying it openly.
   - _He intimated that the deal might fall through within the week._
   - _Diplomats intimate their positions carefully to avoid open conflict._
6. To notify someone of something; to make it formally known to them. *(India)*
   - Simple: To tell someone about something officially.
   - _The registrar intimated the applicants of their acceptance._
   - _Officials intimate the public whenever new safety rules take effect._

## Noun

9. A very close friend or confidant.
   - Simple: A very close friend you trust completely.
   - _She turned to a trusted intimate for advice during the crisis._
   - _Among his intimates, the prince spoke freely about his doubts._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 7–8** — Latin in ("in") gave intus ("within"), whose superlative intimus meant "inmost, most intimate." From intimus came intimo ("to bring into, to make familiar"), and its perfect passive participle intimatus is the word English borrowed.
**Meaning 9** — Formed by turning the adjective 'intimate' into a noun.
**Meanings 5–6** — The word comes from Latin intimatus, with -ate acting as a verb-forming suffix. French intimer is a cognate.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/intimate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).