variants
or less commonly palmated
: resembling a hand with the fingers spread: such as
a
: having lobes radiating from a common point
a palmate leaf
see leaf illustration
b
: having the distal portion broad, flat, and lobed
a palmate antler
palmately
adverb
Examples of palmate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The decorative leaves of blue hibiscus are palmate, deeply lobed and appear to be the hybrid offspring of an oak leaf and a snowflake.
—
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
Variegated: ‘Butterfly’ offers cream and green palmate leaves and stays a modest size (6 to 10 feet).
—Earl Nickel, SFChronicle.com, 5 June 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
Variegated: ‘Butterfly’ offers cream and green palmate leaves and stays a modest size (6 to 10 feet).
—Earl Nickel, SFChronicle.com, 5 June 2020
Cite this Entry
“Palmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palmate. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share