What does spicate mean?
Spicate is an adjective used chiefly in botany to describe a plant part that bears spikes or is arranged in spike-like clusters. Its name reflects the visual impression of the structure: individual elements are pointed, narrow, and grouped along a stem or axis. The word can also describe something that tapers to a sharp point or ends in a spike. In botanical descriptions, spicate is often applied to an inflorescence, referring to flowers arranged in a particular spike-like formation. It is a precise specialist term rather than an everyday synonym for spiky or pointed, so readers encountering it in a scientific or horticultural text will usually understand that the description concerns structure as well as appearance.
Botany. Bearing spikes, or arranged in spike-like clusters.
"The plant produces spicate clusters of small yellow flowers."
Chiefly used in botanical and horticultural descriptions.
Pointed or tapering to a sharp point; ending in a spike.
"The leaf has a spicate tip."
This use is less common than the botanical sense and is mainly descriptive.
In botany, spicate is the word for flowers arranged like tiny spears.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spicate come from?
Spicate derives from the Latin adjective spicatus, meaning pointed or furnished with spikes. That form was developed from spica, the Latin word for an ear of grain or spike. English borrowed the related form spike and eventually adopted spicate as a descriptive botanical adjective. The word shares its Latin root with other terms connected with spikes and pointed structures.
Related word forms
How spicate is actually used
This is primarily a botanical term. It is formal and specialized, and is not commonly used in general speech.
Easily confused with spicate
Spicate describes something bearing or arranged in spikes, while spicate can also mean pointed or ending in a sharp point.