uncinate

[ uhn-suh-nit, -neyt ]

/ ˈʌn sə nɪt, -ˌneɪt /

Save This Word!

adjective Biology.

hooked; bent at the end like a hook.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of uncinate

1750–60; <Latin uncīnāt(us) furnished with hooks, equivalent to uncīnus hook (unc(us) hook + -īnus-ine¹) + -ātus-ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM uncinate

sub·un·ci·nate, adjective

Words nearby uncinate

unchurched, uncia, uncial, unciform, uncinariasis, uncinate, uncinate process, uncinus, UNCIO, uncircumcised, uncircumcision

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

How to use uncinate in a sentence

The ribs have capitula and tubercula, and often uncinate processes (see p. 190) as in birds.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
From near the distal end an imperfectly ossified uncinate process (see p. 190) projects backwards.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
Projecting backwards from each is a large hooked uncinate process.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The peristomium has no setae, and the setae generally are hair-like or uncinate, often forming almost complete rings.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7|Various

The thoracic ribs in almost all birds have large uncinate processes.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for uncinate

uncinate

/ (ˈʌnsɪnɪt, -ˌneɪt) /

adjective biology

shaped like a hookthe uncinate process of the ribs of certain vertebrates

of, relating to, or possessing uncini

Word Origin for uncinate

C18: from Latin uncīnātus, from uncīnus a hook, from uncus

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