Having a scalloped or notched margin with small rounded or tooth-like projections; used in botany and biology to describe edges.
From Latin crenatus, the past participle of crenare (to notch), derived from crena (notch). The term was borrowed directly into English in the 18th century to describe botanical features.
When you look at a crenate leaf under magnification, it has a perfectly regular scalloped edge—nature creates this pattern for structural strength, and botanists borrowed the Latin term to describe this design that appears across hundreds of plant species!
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