obovate

[ ob-oh-veyt ]

adjective
  1. inversely ovate; ovate with the narrow end at the base.

Origin of obovate

1
First recorded in 1775–85; ob- + ovate

Words Nearby obovate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use obovate in a sentence

  • Herbivorous; apod, or with very short legs: body ovate or obovate, slimy.

  • Berries medium to large, slightly oval or obovate, dull green changing to a faint yellow tinge, covered with thin gray bloom.

    The Grapes of New York | U. P. Hedrick
  • (3/4-7 inches) long; leaves oblanceolate-obovate, acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, serrate or doubly serrate 3-6 cm.

    Trees of Indiana | Charles Clemon Deam
  • Small trees with the characteristic bark of the genus; twigs smooth; leaves obovate or oval, 5-11 cm.

    Trees of Indiana | Charles Clemon Deam
  • Its leaves are spreading, obovate in form, with toothed margins, and bristly hairs on the under side of the midrib.

    Field and Woodland Plants | William S. Furneaux

British Dictionary definitions for obovate

obovate

/ (ɒbˈəʊveɪt) /


adjective
  1. (of a leaf or similar flat part) shaped like the longitudinal section of an egg with the narrower end at the base; inversely ovate

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