Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ovate

/ˈoʊ.veɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.58 in modern English

Syllables
ovate
IPA
/ˈoʊ.veɪt/
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Shaped like an egg.

adj

With the broadest extremity near the base.

noun

An egg-shaped hand axe.

noun

An Irish bard.

noun

A member at a certain grade of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, a neo-druidism order based in England.

noun

A modern-day bard of a gorsedd, especially one acknowledged at an eisteddfod.

verb

To give someone an ovation.

Transitive verb

verb

To applaud enthusiastically.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ōvātus, from ōvum (“an egg”) + -ātus; see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₂éwis, *wātis

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈoʊ.veɪt/
  • British English: /ˈəʊ.veɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more ovate (comparative) most ovate (superlative) ovates (plural) ovates (present, singular) ovating (participle, present) ovated (participle, past) ovated (past)

Derived Forms

obovate ovately semiovate subovate

Phrases

lance-ovate

Frequently Paired Words

ovation ovational ovationary

Synonyms

egg-shaped ovoid elliptic elliptical oval oval-shaped oviform prolate

Questions

How do you pronounce ovate?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈoʊ.veɪt/.
What does ovate mean?
Shaped like an egg.
Where does ovate come from?
Borrowed from Latin ōvātus, from ōvum (“an egg”) + -ātus; see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).

How to pronounce ovate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ovate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈoʊ.veɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “ovate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “ovate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.