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ovate

American  
[oh-veyt] / ˈoʊ veɪt /

adjective

  1. egg-shaped.

  2. Botany.

    1. having a shape like the longitudinal section of an egg.

    2. having such a shape with the broader end at the base, as a leaf.


ovate British  
/ ˈəʊveɪt /

adjective

  1. shaped like an egg

  2. (esp of a leaf) shaped like the longitudinal section of an egg, with the broader end at the base Compare obovate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of ovate

1750–60; < Latin ōvātus, equivalent to ōv ( um ) egg 1 + -ātus -ate 1

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.

The Yankton Sioux Tribe voted Friday to ban Noem from their land in southeastern South Dakota just a few days after the Sisseton-Wahpeton Ovate tribe took the same action.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2024

Class II.—Conical, tapering decidedly toward the eye, and becoming Ovate when larger in the middle and tapering to each end, the axial diameter being the shorter.

From American Pomology Apples by Warder, J. A.

Leaves: Ovate to lanceolate, tapering at both ends or wedge-shaped, often yellowish green, entire or sparingly wavy-toothed.

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje

Ovate, evenly curved, with a broad, rounded base.

From Trees of the Northern United States Their Study, Description and Determination by Apgar, A. C. (Austin Craig)

Ovate, shaped like an egg, with the broader end downwards; or, in plain surfaces, such as leaves, like the section of an egg lengthwise, 52.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa