Campanulate

/kæmˈpænjʊleɪt/ adjective

Definition

Shaped like a bell; having the form of a bell with a rounded body and an open end.

Etymology

From Latin 'campanula' meaning 'small bell' (from 'campana' = bell) plus the suffix '-ate' indicating a shape or quality, first used in botanical descriptions during the 16th century.

Kelly Says

Flowers use bell shapes to funnel insects toward their pollen—when botanists noticed this pattern, they borrowed the name from church bells, creating one of science's most poetic shape-words.

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