Runcinate

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a form that narrows to a tip and bends inward
2. Describing structures with a segmented appearance that trend towards a pointed curve
3. Having edges divided into lobes that become narrower and curve inward to form sharp points

Etymology: "Runcinate" describes leaves or shapes that narrow to a point and curve back inward, like the lobes of a dandelion leaf. The word comes from Latin "runcinatus," the past participle of "runcinare," meaning "to plane off." The Latin verb was built from "runcina," a carpenter's plane or chisel, and the sense of shaving something smooth gave way to a botanical image of a surface cut into backward-pointing teeth. The connection to woodworking is what makes the word striking. A plane shaves wood into shapes with angled edges, and the botanists who borrowed "runcinatus" reached for that picture of a blade-edged outline that points back toward the stem. Dandelion leaves are the classic example, and the term is used in botany for any leaf or lobe with this sawtooth-like inward curve.

Synonyms: sickle-shaped