spatulate

1 9.9

Having a wide rounded tip and a narrow base like a kitchen spatula

adjective
/ˈspætʃʊlɪt/

Specialized

: espatulada

The chef preferred a spatulate spatula for flipping the pancakes, as it provided better coverage.

Examples

I can't say I didn't know what was coming when I saw him extract from his turban a long steel poker with a spatulate end, but I did nothing to wriggle free of his grasp.

Fiction book (1996)
The leaves of the plant are spatulate, with broad, rounded tips that make them easy to identify.
Here he turned a spatulate thumb into the oncoming glare, pausing now and again to wipe the water from his eyes.

Fiction book (1993)
Jaime feels the thick, spatulate fingers softly digging into his shoulders, the protuberant stomach pressing against the slope of his shoulder blades.

Fiction book (1996)
In the garden, we noticed a variety of spatulate leaves that enhanced the overall aesthetic.

Synonyms

spatula-shaped

vsspatulate

Specialized

1 6.4

A shape with a wide rounded top and a narrow base, like some leaves

covers the same shape on leaves and on other structures

spatulate leaf

vsspatulate

Specialized

8.6

A leaf shaped like a kitchen spatula wide at the tip and narrow at the base

is the general adjective for that shape on other structures

Compounds

spatulate leaf

Specialized

8.6

A leaf shaped like a kitchen spatula wide at the tip and narrow at the base

How Broad

broad

106 1.0

spatulate

Specialized

1 9.9

elliptic

1 6.5

narrow

279 1.0

Surface Forms

spatulate positive

Morphology

spatulate = spatula (transparent) = spatula + ate

The adjective is a straightforward adjectival formation meaning 'having the shape or quality of a spatula', so learners who know 'spatula' can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Spatulate comes from spatula, which means 'a flat kitchen tool'. Think of a cooking spatula that is wide at the tip and narrow at the handle, so a spatulate leaf is broad at the end and narrow at the base.