oblate

[ ob-leyt, o-bleyt ]

See synonyms for oblate on Thesaurus.com

adjective

flattened at the poles, as a spheroid generated by the revolution of an ellipse about its shorter axis (opposed to prolate).

Origin of oblate

1695–1705; <New Latin oblātus lengthened, equivalent to Latin ob-ob- + (prō)lātusprolate

Other words from oblate

ob·late·ly, adverb

Words Nearby oblate

Other definitions for oblate (2 of 2)

oblate²

[ ob-leyt, o-bleyt ]

noun

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.

Origin of oblate

1860–65; <Medieval Latin oblātus, suppletive past participle of offerre to offer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use oblate in a sentence

The characteristic form is round-oblate, regular; Size medium.
American Pomology | J. A. Warder
oblate, or flattened, when the axial diameter is decidedly the shorter; fig. 35.
American Pomology | J. A. Warder
His hands went up to his eyes and he stared for a few moments at the pale yellow oblate shape of the sun.
A Honeymoon in Space | George Griffith
oblate, is the reverse of oblong, and means shorter in one direction, than in another.
Conversations on Natural Philosophy, in which the Elements of that Science are Familiarly Explained | Jane Haldimand Marcet and Thomas P. Jones
(He disengages himself) Why should I not speak to him or to any human being who walks upright upon this oblate orange?
Ulysses | James Joyce

British Dictionary definitions for oblate (1 of 2)

oblate¹

/ (ˈɒbleɪt) /

adjective

having an equatorial diameter of greater length than the polar diameter: the earth is an oblate sphere Compare prolate

Origin of oblate

C18: from New Latin oblātus lengthened, from Latin ob- towards + lātus, past participle of ferre to bring

Derived forms of oblate

oblately, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for oblate (2 of 2)

oblate²

/ (ˈɒbleɪt) /

noun

a person dedicated to a monastic or religious life

Origin of oblate

C19: from French oblat, from Medieval Latin oblātus, from Latin offerre to offer

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

Browse