What does cordate mean?
Cordate is an adjective meaning heart-shaped, used almost exclusively in botany and formal descriptions of form. A leaf is described as cordate when it is broadly rounded with a small notch at the base, so that the stalk emerges from the indentation at the top of the 'heart' while the pointed end faces away. The term allows botanists to describe leaf shape precisely and consistently, distinguishing it from related terms such as obcordate, where the heart shape is inverted. Because it belongs to technical vocabulary, cordate rarely appears in casual conversation; instead, it turns up in field guides, floras, and scientific papers, where exactness matters. Its root is the Latin cor, meaning heart, which also gives us words like cordial and cardiac. For anyone reading botanical descriptions or studying plant identification, cordate is a small but indispensable piece of vocabulary.
adjectiveHeart-shaped, especially in describing a leaf or other plant part that is rounded at the base with the stalk attached at the notch.
- (of a leaf or plant part) Heart-shaped, rounded at the base with the stem arising from the notch.
"The violet's cordate leaves made it easy to identify among the forest undergrowth."
"The morning glory twined up the fence, its cordate leaves catching the early light."
"Under the microscope, the seed's cordate outline was clearly visible."
Botanists can tell a heart from its upside-down twin: 'cordate' leaves attach at the heart's notch, while 'obcordate' ones flip it entirely.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does cordate come from?
Cordate derives from the Latin cor (stem cord-), meaning 'heart', combined with the adjectival suffix -ate. It entered English in the late 17th century as part of the wave of learned Latinate vocabulary adopted into scientific description. It shares this heart-root with cognates such as cordial, accord, concord, and cardiac (the latter via Greek kardia, a related Indo-European root).
How cordate is actually used
A technical term used chiefly in botany and descriptive morphology; rare in everyday speech. It refers specifically to orientation of the heart shape relative to the point of attachment.
Easily confused with cordate
Cordate describes a shape attached at the notch (heart pointing downward), while obcordate is the reverse — notched at the tip with the point at the base.