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spatula

American  
[spach-uh-luh] / ˈspætʃ ə lə /

noun

  1. an implement with a broad, flat, usually flexible blade, used for blending foods or removing them from cooking utensils, mixing drugs, spreading plasters and paints, etc.


spatula British  
/ ˈspætjʊlə /

noun

  1. a utensil with a broad flat, often flexible blade, used for lifting, spreading, or stirring foods, etc

"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 spatula

1515–25; < Latin: a flat piece, batten, equivalent to spath ( a ) spathe + -ula -ule

Explanation

Don’t even think about making pancakes if you don’t have a spatula. What else would you flip them with? There are two main types of spatulas, both of which are kitchen utensils. One has a wide, flat surface attached to the end of a handle and is ideal for picking up, flipping, or serving hot foods like pancakes and hamburgers. The other has a more flexible end, usually made of rubber or plastic, and is used for mixing batter or spreading icing. Painters also use a type of spatula to mix or spread paint.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing spatula

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.

Price: $42.50 to $49.99 Amazon Best Buy Target Chef'n Double-Sided Spatula An artisan is only as good as their tools, and a baker is only as good as their... spatula.

From The Verge • Apr. 28, 2022

Slotted Spatula or Fish Spatula: For the breeziest egg-removal missions.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2022

The Tola Spatula is a thin, tapering 10-inch shaft of stainless steel that slips neatly under a wedge of pie to transfer it from pan to plate.

From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2021

He takes special pleasure in naming Endland’s gods, a dissonant mash-up of ancient and modern: Goldilocks, Stormzy and Robocop are all present, as are Thor and Leia, Herpes and Vesuvius, twin gods Porridge and Spatula.

From Washington Post • May 18, 2020

These Instruments are a good pair of Sizzers, a Razor, an Incision-Knife streight and crooked, a Spatula, a greater Lancet to open Impostumes, and lesser for letting Blood.

From The Compleat Surgeon or, the whole Art of Surgery explain'd in a most familiar Method. by Le Clerc, Charles Gabriel