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convoluted

convoluted

1 8.5
Rolled up along its length, as a leaf often is in a bud
  • adjective
  • /ˈkɒnvəˌluːtɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : enrollado
  • The plant had convoluted leaves that curled intricately around each other.

Examples

  • Only his hands and head were visible outside the bulky, convoluted black pressure suit.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I saw a convoluted concrete structure near Karlshagen.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Understanding this process helps clarify the origin of the facial nerve's convoluted path.

    Academic text (2003)
  • It was not until you reached the end of a long, convoluted track between two old hedgerows that you came upon the lake.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • At the heart of the labyrinth lay a convoluted chamber, whorled and curved like the walls of a nautilus shell.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The 19-mile-long Bosporus has a convoluted morphological structure that requires ships to change course at least twelve times, including four separate bends that require turns greater than 45 degrees.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The flower's petals were convoluted, tightly rolled up in the bud before blooming.

  • The artist designed a sculpture with convoluted shapes that twisted and turned in unexpected ways.

Synonyms

coiled
vsconvoluted
1 4.3

Shaped like tight rings or spirals

folds lengthwise into a tube like form rather than spirals
involute
vsconvoluted
  • Specialized
9.9

Edges rolled inward, as petals before they open

folds along its length rather than only edges inward
rolled
vsconvoluted
  • Specialized
5.9

Edges curve inward to protect young petals or leaves

folds along its length rather than only edge curling
revolute
vsconvoluted
  • Specialized
9.9

Leaf edges rolled under toward the lower side

folds inward along length rather than backward toward underside

Antonyms

797 1.0

Level and even without parts higher or lower

3.9

Not curled after being twisted, like a rope or wire

How Rolled

convoluted
  • Specialized
1 8.5
coiled
1 4.3
rolled
2.1
curled
1.4
flat
797 1.0

Surface Forms

convoluted positive
convoluter comparative
convolutest superlative

Morphology

convoluted = convolute (transparent) = convolute + ed

Formed from the verb 'convolute' + '-ed' with the botanical meaning directly corresponding to 'rolled together'.

Etymology

Convoluted comes from Latin parts con- 'together' and volvere 'to roll'. In botany it kept the original image of things 'rolled together', which is why a leaf or petal that is wrapped up in a bud is called convoluted.