lyrate

9.9

A leaf shaped like a small harp with a large rounded end and smaller lobes near the base

adjective
/ˈlaɪreɪt/

Specialized

: lirado

The lyrate leaves of this plant make it easy to identify in the field.

Examples

Some species in the mustard family display distinctive lyrate leaf margins.
Botanists noted the unusual lyrate shape among the seedling foliage.
The lyrate leaves are beautiful.
Look at this lyrate leaf!
The lyrate leaves of the holly plant are easily recognizable due to their unique shape.
In the garden, I admired the lyrate foliage that stood out among the other plants.
The botany textbook illustrated several plants with lyrate leaves, highlighting their distinctiveness.

Synonyms

lyre-shaped

vslyrate

1 8.8

Curved outward at the ends and narrow in the middle like a small harp

is the single word technical adjective used in botany instead of a two-word phrase

Compounds

lyrate leaf

Specialized

9.8

A simple leaf with a large rounded end and small rounded side parts

Surface Forms

lyrate positive

Etymology

The word lyrate comes from the musical instrument lyre, a small harp with a rounded top and strings. So a lyrate leaf is 'lyre-shaped', with a large rounded end and smaller lobes near the base, just like the shape of a lyre.