Having a cup-like shape; formed with or as if with a small cup.
From Latin 'cupula' (small cup) plus '-ate' (adjective suffix meaning having or characterized by). This is the more formal botanical term for cup-shaped structures.
The acorn cap is a perfect example of a cupulate structure—that little cup perfectly protects the developing nut, and the design is so efficient that humans have actually copied it in engineering and industrial design!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.