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spatulate

[spach-uh-lit, -leyt]
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adjective
  1. shaped like a spatula; rounded more or less like a spoon.
  2. Botany. having a broad, rounded end and a narrow, attenuate base, as a leaf.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for spatulate

Historical Examples

  • Or sometimes the palm may be of one type, say spatulate, with all the fingers mixed.

    Palmistry for All

    Cheiro

  • These are spatulate in form, with a terraced terminal marking.

  • In the Dinosaur Hadrosaurus they are exceedingly large and spatulate.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton

    Sidney H. Reynolds

  • The flower is composed of thirty-eight spatulate petals and fourteen sepals.

    The Fantastic Clan

    John James Thornber

  • The petals are broad and spatulate and a bit thick, not opening wide.

    The Fantastic Clan

    John James Thornber

British Dictionary definitions for spatulate

spatulate

adjective
  1. shaped like a spatula
  2. Also: spathulate botany having a narrow base and a broad rounded apexa spatulate leaf
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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
spatulate in Medicine

spatulate

(spăch′ə-lĭt)
adj.
  1. Having a broad flat end.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.