cuspidate
/ˈkʌspɪdət/ adjective, verb
Forms cuspidates cuspidating cuspidated
- adjective Having a cusp
- adjective (botany, of a leaf) Tapering to a sharp, firm point
- verb To sharpen, to whet to a point.
Synonyms
Etymology
First attested in 1693; borrowed from Latin cuspidātus, from cuspis (“point, tip”) + -ātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin cuspidātus, perfect passive participle of cuspidō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix)
Webster’s 1913
- verb To make pointed or sharp.
- adjective Having a sharp end, like the point of a spear; terminating in a hard point; as, a cuspidate leaf.
Etymology [L. cuspidatus, p.p. of cuspidare to make pointed, fr. cuspis. See Cusp.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cuspidate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details