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Glite Dictionary
dentate leaf

dentate leaf

7.9
A leaf with teeth along the edge like a saw
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : hoja dentada
  • The oak tree's dentate leaf had jagged edges that resembled small teeth.

Examples

  • The fan-shaped clusters of five-lobed dentate leaves looked an awful lot like marijuana.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The dentate leaf of the plant helps to distinguish it from other species in the garden.

  • In autumn, the dentate leaf turns a vibrant red, showcasing its unique serrated shape.

How Toothed

dentate leaf
  • Specialized
7.9
denticulate leaf
  • Specialized
9.4
crenate leaf
  • Specialized
8.3
entire leaf
  • Specialized
6.7

Surface Forms

dentate leaf singular
dentate leaves plural

Morphology

dentate + leaf

The adjective 'dentate' directly describes a toothed or serrated margin and combines compositionally with 'leaf' to mean 'a leaf with tooth-like projections.' Although 'dentate' is somewhat technical, if a learner knows both constituent words the overall meaning follows transparently from standard adjective+noun composition and is likely inferable.

Etymology

Dentate leaf comes from dentate meaning 'tooth' because the edge of the leaf has small, tooth-like points, so the phrase describes a leaf with a toothed edge.