punctate
1
8.9
- adjective
- /ˈpʌŋkˌteɪt/
- Specialized
:
punctado
- The scientist observed that the tissue samples showed a distinct, punctate pattern under the microscope.
- punctate injury
Examples
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We've looked at all of these punctate staining with no purines.
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Emotions are short, punctate events that usually last anywhere from seconds to too many minutes.
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You see these little dots which they call punctate staining.
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So they acquire a punctate distribution, small dots in this cell in the cytoplasm.
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Plain films demonstrate a well-defined or lobulated soft-tissue mass, and as many as one-third of cases exhibit punctate calcification.
Academic text (2009) -
Unprecedented for staphylococcal lipoproteins, the protein was demonstrated to have a discrete, punctate localization on the bacterial surface.
Blog text (23) -
Punctate, bright fluorescence was assumed to indicate the presence of grana stacks in which PSII was concentrated, as is true in higher plants.
Academic text (2008) -
In the imaging results, numerous punctate marks indicated areas of potential infection.
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The artist used a punctate style, applying tiny dots of paint to create a vibrant landscape.
Synonyms
1
2.8
Covered with many small spots of a different color
Covered with many small spots like drops of paint
A surface with many small spots like dots on an egg or cloth
Having small dots on it
A surface covered with many small dots, often made by paint or ink
Having only points and no measurable size or area
Antonyms
How Dotted
Surface Forms
Morphology
punctate = puncture (semi-transparent) = punct + ate
The adjective is built by a regular suffixation ('-ate') to the combining form 'punct-' meaning 'point/dot', but 'punct-' is a Latin combining form not a standalone word for most learners, so the relation is only partially obvious.
Etymology
Punctate comes from the Latin root punct- meaning 'point' or 'prick', the same root in puncture and punctuation. So punctate describes something marked with many tiny 'points' or dots.