oblate
1 Americanadjective
noun
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a person offered to the service of and living in a monastery, but not under monastic vows or full monastic rule.
-
a lay member of any of various Roman Catholic societies devoted to special religious work.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of oblate1
1695–1705; < New Latin oblātus lengthened, equivalent to Latin ob- ob- + ( prō ) lātus prolate
Origin of oblate2
1860–65; < Medieval Latin oblātus, suppletive past participle of offerre to offer
Explanation
Something that's oblate is rounded, but instead of being a perfect sphere, it's flattened slightly on the top and bottom. Although we imagine the Earth to be shaped like a basketball, it's actually slightly oblate. In the case of our oblate home planet, its poles are a bit flat because of the effects of gravity as it rotates. To get a good mental image of an oblate shape, picture a lentil — while a pea is spherical, a lentil looks like it's been squashed flat. The opposite of oblate is prolate, like an American football. Though it shares a Latin root with the adjective, the noun version of oblate has a completely different meaning, "dedicated religious person."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Lange and her Oblate Sisters of Providence’s very existence embody the fundamental truth that Black history and always has been Catholic history in the land area that became the United States.”
From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2023
There were periods of tensions with Oblate leadership, but Rev. Kabat managed to keep his activism alive.
From Washington Post • Aug. 11, 2022
The death was announced by the Oblate Madonna Residence, a senior community home affiliated with Rev. Kabat’s religious congregation, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
From Washington Post • Aug. 11, 2022
Some current members of the Oblate Sisters of Providence help run Saint Frances Academy, a high school serving low-income Black neighborhoods.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 30, 2022
The Oblate seemed to awake from a long dream, and opening her eyes, she distinctly said, "Mother, what would you have me to do?"
From The Life of St. Frances of Rome, and Others by Fullerton, Georgiana
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
