ovate

[ oh-veyt ]
See synonyms for ovate on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. Botany.

    • having a shape like the longitudinal section of an egg.

    • having such a shape with the broader end at the base, as a leaf.

Origin of ovate

1
1750–60; <Latin ōvātus, equivalent to ōv(um) egg1 + -ātus-ate1

Other words from ovate

  • o·vate·ly, adverb
  • sem·i·o·vate, adjective
  • sub·o·vate, adjective

Words Nearby ovate

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

How to use ovate in a sentence

  • At the base they are covered with large ovate-acuminate brown or sometimes dark and shining scales.

    Beautiful Ferns | Daniel Cady Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for ovate

ovate

/ (ˈəʊveɪt) /


adjective
  1. shaped like an egg

  2. (esp of a leaf) shaped like the longitudinal section of an egg, with the broader end at the base: Compare obovate

Origin of ovate

1
C18: from Latin ōvātus egg-shaped; see ovum

Derived forms of ovate

  • ovately, adverb

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