Ovate
/ˈoʊ.veɪt/noun
Shaped like an egg; broadly oval.
Did you know?Ovate comes from Latin ovatus, from ovum meaning “egg,” the same root behind words like oval and oviparous, so a scientific shape term is secretly born from the oldest symbol of life.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ōwyóm
“egg”
Latin
Latin
ovum
“egg”
Late Latin
Latin
ovātus
“egg-shaped; rounded like an egg”
16th Century
English
ovate
“egg-shaped; having the form of an egg”
Modern English
English
ovate
“shaped like an egg; broadly oval”