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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

• ovately adverb
• semiovate adjective
• subovate adjective

Etymology

Origin of ovate

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

Example Sentences

A Chittenango ovate amber snail inspected a new leaf placed inside its terrarium in a lab.

From New York Times

That didn’t save “Sea of Trees” from the carnage, but Mr. McConaughey’s response at a news conference was characteristically sanguine: “Anyone has as much right to boo as they do to ovate.”

From New York Times

They brought the scent of the Sahara and Christmas, and yanked the slender, ovate leaves down from the frangipani and the needlelike leaves from the whistling pines, covering everything in a film of brown.

From Literature

“Anyone has as much right to boo as they do to ovate,” he said.

From The Guardian

Heckles and boos were heard at Friday's press screening, but McConaughey said, "People have as much right to boo as to ovate."

From BBC