Ecalcavate

/ɪˈkælkəveɪt/ adjective

Definition

Not having a heel-shaped or spur-shaped indentation or cavity; lacking a heel-like projection.

Etymology

From Latin e- (without) + calcavate (having a heel, from calcavus). A rare botanical term using Latin privative prefix. Found in specialized botanical texts from the 18th-19th centuries.

Kelly Says

This word is so obscure that even botanists have probably never used it—it describes such a specific thing missing from a plant that it's like having a word for 'not-blue-on-Tuesdays'!

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