palmate
/ˈpalmeɪt
/adjective
1 Botany (Of a leaf) having five or more lobes whose midribs all radiate from one point.Large palmate leaves are the main attraction of this 5 foot tall plant....
- The distinctive, compound palmate leaves typically drop with heat or drought, but defoliation may be less with more shade and water.
- The leaves are palmate and have a hairy texture.
2 Zoology (Of an antler) in which the angles between the tines are partly filled in to form a broad flat surface, as in fallow deer and moose.Megaloceros had large palmate antlers with a span up to 3.7 m and a weight around 45 kg....
- In all cases, they consist of a single tine removed from a palmate section of an antler beam.
- The sharp angle between the base and the blade of both of these variants suggests that they probably occupied the dorsal or lateral zones, where the palmate and cultrate sclerites occur.
Derivatives
palmated
- The Fallow deer with its huge palmated antlers was probably introduced by the Normans in order to enjoy their ‘sport’ of hunting.
- An escaped, wayward child from the horticultural efforts of two previous gardeners at the bay, it smiled and waved its many palmated, seven-fingered hands at him, beckoning to him as he went by.
- Palmated antlers of moose may serve as a parabolic reflector of sounds.
Origin
Mid 18th century: from Latin palmatus, from palma 'palm' (see palm2).