Curved or hooked inward, like a bird's beak or claw.
From Latin 'aduncus' meaning 'hooked' or 'curved,' combined with the suffix '-ate.' The word evolved in medieval and scientific English to describe shapes found in nature.
This word is the technical term ornithologists use to describe raptors' talons—that inward curve isn't random, it's engineered for gripping prey mid-flight. The same root gives us 'aduncity,' which is essentially the degree of hookedness.
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