cordate
|cor-date|
🇺🇸
/ˈkɔr.deɪt/
🇬🇧
/ˈkɔː.deɪt/
heart-shaped
Etymology
'cordate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'cordatus', where 'cor' (genitive 'cordis') meant 'heart'.
'cordate' entered English via New Latin/Medieval Latin 'cordatus', used in botanical Latin; it was adopted into modern English botanical and descriptive usage in the 18th–19th centuries.
Initially, related to 'having a heart' or 'of the heart' in Latin contexts; over time it evolved into the specific descriptive sense 'heart-shaped' used especially in botany.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
heart-shaped; having the outline of a heart, especially used in botany to describe leaves with a notch at the base.
The plant has cordate leaves with a distinct notch at the base.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/29 05:52