spatulate

[ spach-uh-lit, -leyt ]

/ ˈspætʃ ə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

adjective

shaped like a spatula; rounded more or less like a spoon.

Botany. having a broad, rounded end and a narrow, attenuate base, as a leaf.

Nearby words

Origin of spatulate

From the New Latin word spatulātus, dating back to 1750–60. See spatula, -ate¹

Related formssub·spat·u·late, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spatulate

The flower is composed of thirty-eight spatulate petals and fourteen sepals.
The Fantastic Clan|John James Thornber
You observe the spatulate finger-end, Watson, which is common to both professions?
The Return of Sherlock Holmes|Arthur Conan Doyle
The teeth of all species of Smilisca are spatulate and bifid.
Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Smilisca|William E. Duellman
Leaves crowded at the ends of the flowering branches, obovate or spatulate, auriculate at base, smooth (1 ft. long).
Trees of the Northern United States|Austin C. Apgar

Fingers that are slender and longer than the palm, but with spatulate tips, indicate versatility, wit and intuitive perception.
The Influence of the Stars|Rosa Baughan

British Dictionary definitions for spatulate

spatulate

/ (ˈspætjʊlɪt) /

adjective

shaped like a spatula

Also: spathulate botany having a narrow base and a broad rounded apexa spatulate leaf

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

Medicine definitions for spatulate

spatulate

[ spăch′ə-lĭt ]

adj.

Having a broad flat end.