turbinate
Americanadjective
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Also turbinated. having the shape of an inverted cone; scroll-like; whorled; spiraled.
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Anatomy. of or relating to certain scroll-like, spongy bones of the nasal passages in humans and other vertebrates.
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inversely conical.
noun
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a turbinate shell.
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Also called nasal concha. Anatomy. a turbinate bone.
adjective
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anatomy of or relating to any of the thin scroll-shaped bones situated on the walls of the nasal passages
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shaped like a spiral or scroll
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(esp of the shells of certain molluscs) shaped like an inverted cone
noun
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Also called: nasal concha. a turbinate bone
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a turbinate shell
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of turbinate
1655–65; < Latin turbinātus shaped like a top, equivalent to turbin- (stem of turbō a top; see turbine) + -ātus -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Researchers also identified signs of a structure known as a respiratory turbinate inside the nose of Triceratops.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 22, 2026
Core small, turbinate, regular, clasping; Seeds few, angular imperfect; Flesh yellowish white, breaking, coarse-grained, juicy; Flavor acid to sub-acid, rich; Quality good to very good; Use, kitchen, market, drying; Season, September, October.
From American Pomology Apples by Warder, J. A.
Core rather large, regular, turbinate, closed, clasping; Seeds numerous, small, plump, long; Flesh greenish-yellow, firm; Flavor sub-acid, rich, aromatic; Quality very good; Use, table and kitchen; Season, March and April.
From American Pomology Apples by Warder, J. A.
A large handsome species recognizable by the peculiar turbinate sporangium, with its iridescent peridial wall in which green strongly predominates above, bronze below.
From The North American Slime-Moulds A Descriptive List of All Species of Myxomycetes Hitherto Reported from the Continent of North America, with Notes on Some Extra-Limital Species by MacBride, Thomas H. (Thomas Huston)
Core medium, turbinate, regular, slightly open, clasping; Seeds numerous, angular, pointed; Flesh yellow, breaking, juicy; Flavor very sweet; Quality good to very good; Use, baking, market; Season, December and January.
From American Pomology Apples by Warder, J. A.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
