Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
digitate

digitate

9.7
Shaped like the fingers of a hand spreading from one central point
  • adjective
  • /ˈdɪdʒɪteɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : digitado
  • The horse chestnut has digitate leaves that radiate from a single point.

Examples

  • Some sea stars have digitate arms, which look like fingers extending from their bodies.

  • The plant has digitate leaves that resemble fingers.

  • The digitate projections on the microscope slide were immediately noticed by the students.

  • Look at these digitate leaves!

  • The horse chestnut has digitate leaves that radiate from a single point.

  • Some sea stars have digitate arms, which look like fingers extending from their bodies.

  • The plant has digitate leaves that resemble fingers.

Synonyms

fingerlike
vsdigitate
3.7

Having a thin, long shape like a finger

spreads from a central point into several narrow projections

How Divided

digitate
  • Specialized
9.7
lobed
6.5
entire
  • Specialized
1 8.3

Surface Forms

digitate positive

Morphology

digitate = digit (semi-transparent) = digit + ate

The suffix '-ate' is used to form adjectives, but the specific meaning of resembling fingers is not immediately apparent.

Etymology

The word digitate comes from the Latin root digit- meaning 'finger', and it describes a part that spreads out from one point like the fingers of a hand, as in a sea star or a horse chestnut leaf. It is the same root as digit, the word for a 'finger', which makes the shape easy to remember.