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Glite Dictionary
🦶 Foot-like shape 🌿 Foot-shaped leaf
pedate

pedate

9.9
A leaf with parts that spread out like the toes of a foot
  • adjective
  • /ˈpɛdeɪt/
  • Specialized
: pedado
  • The plant has pedate leaves, each lobe spreading out like the toes of a foot.

Examples

  • The pedate structure of the foliage is characteristic of several woodland wildflowers.

  • Botanists easily distinguished the species by its unusual pedate leaf pattern.

  • The pedate leaves of the plant are quite unique.

  • Is that a pedate leaf I see?

  • The pedate leaves of the plant resemble a hand, with each lobe spread out like fingers.

  • In the garden, the pedate leaves provide a distinct shape that attracts many visitors.

  • The botanist explained that the pedate leaf structure helps with the plant's adaptation to its environment.

Compounds

pedate leaf
  • Specialized
9.9

A leaf with parts that spread from the stem like a bird's foot

Surface Forms

pedate positive

Morphology

pedate = pedal (semi-transparent) = ped + ate

The connection to 'pedal' is clear, but the botanical sense of resembling a foot with toes is specialized.

Etymology

Pedate comes from the Latin pes meaning 'foot'. Botanists use pedate for leaves whose lobes spread out like the 'toes' of a foot, so the word explains the leaf's toe-like shape.