convolute

[ kon-vuh-loot ]
See synonyms for: convoluteconvoluted on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object),con·vo·lut·ed, con·vo·lut·ing.
  1. to coil up; form into a twisted shape.

adjective
  1. rolled up together or with one part over another.

  2. Botany. coiled up longitudinally so that one margin is within the coil and the other without, as the petals of cotton.

Origin of convolute

1
First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin convolūtus “rolled up,” past participle of convolvere “to roll together, roll up”; see convolve

Other words from convolute

  • con·vo·lute·ly, adverb
  • sub·con·vo·lute, adjective
  • sub·con·vo·lute·ly, adverb
  • un·con·vo·lute, adjective
  • un·con·vo·lute·ly, adverb

Words Nearby convolute

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use convolute in a sentence

  • A spiral shell is said to be discoidal, when the whorls are so horizontally convolute as to form a flattened spire.

    A Conchological Manual | George Brettingham Sowerby

British Dictionary definitions for convolute

convolute

/ (ˈkɒnvəˌluːt) /


verb(tr)
  1. to form into a twisted, coiled, or rolled shape

adjective
  1. botany rolled longitudinally upon itself: a convolute petal

  2. another word for convoluted (def. 2)

Origin of convolute

1
C18: from Latin convolūtus rolled up, from convolvere to roll together, from volvere to turn

Derived forms of convolute

  • convolutely, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012