lanceolate

[lan-see-uh-leyt, -lit]

adjective

shaped like the head of a lance.
narrow, and tapering toward the apex or sometimes at the base, as a leaf.

Origin of lanceolate

1750–60; < Latin lanceolātus armed with a small lance, equivalent to lanceol(a) small lance (lance(a) lance¹ + -ola -ole¹) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formslan·ce·o·late·ly, adverbsub·lan·ce·o·late, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lanceolate

Historical Examples of lanceolate

Lanceolate: lance- or spear-shaped: oblong and tapering to the end.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
The fourth glume is coriaceous, lanceolate, bisexual or female.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses
Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
The first two glumes are unequal, oblong or lanceolate, 1-nerved.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses
Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
The second glume is lanceolate, acute, as long as the first, 3-nerved.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses
Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
The first two glumes are membranous, lanceolate, and subequal.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses
Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar

British Dictionary definitions for lanceolate

lanceolate

adjective

narrow and tapering to a point at each endlanceolate leaves

Word Origin for lanceolate

C18: from Late Latin lanceolātus, from lanceola small lance

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

lanceolate in Science

lanceolate

[lăn′sē-ə-lāt′]

Tapering from a rounded base toward an apex; lance-shaped. Many willows have lanceolate leaves.