What does delate mean?
To delate is to inform against someone — to formally accuse them of an offense before an authority such as a court, tribunal, or church body. The word belongs to a formal register and appears chiefly in legal and historical contexts, describing the act of denunciation rather than casual complaint. Its connotations are decidedly negative: to be delated suggests betrayal by an informer, and the term carries echoes of authoritarian regimes and inquisitorial courts where citizens were encouraged or compelled to report on their neighbors. The noun forms are delation (the act or accusation itself) and delator (the informer), the latter famously applied to the professional accusers of ancient Rome who could profit handsomely from their reports. Though now rare, delate remains useful precisely because it names a specific kind of accusation — one delivered through official channels — with a precision that more common words like report or tell on cannot match. Readers will encounter it mostly in accounts of Roman history, censorship, and political persecution.
verbTo inform against or accuse someone of an offense, typically before a legal or ecclesiastical authority; formerly, to spread abroad (a rumor or report).
- To inform against, denounce, or bring charges against someone before an authority.
- (Archaic) To spread or publish a report or rumor.
"The informer was paid to delate anyone who spoke out against the regime."
"Under the decree, citizens were obliged to delate any neighbors suspected of treason."
"The scandal was quickly delated throughout the court."
In ancient Rome, a delator was a professional informant — and some grew wealthy from the accusations they brought.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of delate
Delate comes from the Latin delatare (or delare), formed from de- ('down' or 'away') plus ferre/lat- meaning 'to carry', so literally 'to carry down or away' — hence 'to carry word against someone'. English adopted it in the 16th–17th centuries, primarily in the legal sense of bringing formal accusations, alongside its nouns delation and delator. The same Latin root lat- ('to carry, bear') underlies words like translate, dilate, and elate, which share its sense of conveying or extending something.
Related word forms
How delate is actually used
A rare and highly formal word today, found mainly in historical, legal, and ecclesiastical writing. It carries a distinctly negative connotation, evoking informers, surveillance states, and betrayal rather than legitimate reporting.
Easily confused with delate
"Dilate" means to make wider or expand, while "delate" means to inform against or denounce someone.
"Delete" means to remove or erase, whereas "delate" means to formally accuse someone of wrongdoing.