cordate means heart-shaped, with a point at the apex and a notch at the base. It carries an Arena rating of 1447, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cordate ranks #1,665 of 17,120 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,275 of 17,130 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,867 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words, #3,134 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words.
cordate is pronounced /ˈkɔːdeɪt/.
Why “cordate” is a great word
Having a heart-shaped form, typically with a point at the apex and a notch at the base. From New Latin cordātus, from Latin cor, cord- (“heart”) + -ātus (adjective-forming suffix), first recorded in English 1645–55. Unlike “ovate,” which suggests the smooth, blunt oval of an egg, or “reniform,” which describes the bean-like curve of a kidney, cordate is the precise geometry of sentiment. It is the perfect cleft of a linden leaf held up to the light, the foundational silhouette of a strawberry, and the universal glyph carved on a locket—a shape so intrinsic that nature and artifice alike confess their fondest allegiances through it.
Etymology
From the substantivation of the above adjective, alternatively straight from Latin cord- (“heart”) + -ate (noun-forming suffix).
adj
- Heart-shaped, with a point at the apex and a notch at the base.
noun
- Any animal with a heart.e.g.“If, for instance, the context:”
- A heart-shaped hand axe.e.g.“The upper loam (E) has been reported to have yielded several white-patinated implements, including a large number of pointed handaxes, cordates, ovates and cleavers.”
Words closest in meaning
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