cuneate

[ kyoo-nee-it, -eyt ]

adjective

1. having or being in the shape of a wedge; wedge-shaped.
2. (of leaves) triangular at the base and tapering to a point.

cuneate

/ ˈkjuːnɪɪt; -ˌeɪt /

adjective

1. wedge-shaped: cuneate leaves are attached at the narrow end

Derived Forms

• ˈcuneately, adverb

Other Words From

• cu·ne·ate·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cuneate¹

1800–10; < Latin cuneātus, equivalent to cuneā ( re ) to wedge, secure by wedging, become wedge-shaped + -tus past participle suffix; -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of cuneate¹

C19: from Latin cuneāre to make wedge-shaped, from cuneus a wedge

Example Sentences

To make matters worse, the cuneate nucleus is nestled in the brain stem, surrounded by vital brain regions that, if damaged, can lead to death.

From Scientific American

Finely pubescent and roughish, 3–7° high; leaves sessile, ovate-oblong, acute, triply-nerved above, the broadly cuneate base, serrulate; scales loose, attenuate, mostly 6–8´´ long, hairy.

From Project Gutenberg

Leaves.—One to three inches in diameter; deeply three- to five-cleft, or barely parted into obovate or cuneate divisions.

From Project Gutenberg

At the time of metamorphosis, young are dark brown with specks of black and with a dark, cuneate, leaflike middorsal mark.

From Project Gutenberg

Var. mollis has the shoots densely pubescent; leaves large, slender-petioled, cuneate, cordate or truncate at base, usually with acute narrow lobes, often rough above, and more or less densely pubescent beneath.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• trilateral