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oblate

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oblate¹

  • /ˈɒbleɪt/ UK
  • /ɒˈbleɪt/ UK
  • /ˈɑbleɪt/ US

Rhymes with (UK adjective) -eɪt

Where it comes from

From French oblat and its source, Ecclesiastical Latin oblātus (“person dedicated to religious life”), nominalization of oblātus, perfect passive participle of offerō (“to offer”); see -ate (noun-forming suffix).

noun oblates · oblati

  1. A person dedicated to a life of religion or monasticism, especially a member of an order without religious vows or a lay member of a religious community.
  2. A child given up by its parents into the keeping or dedication of a religious order or house. 2007, The Venerable Bede started as an oblate at St Paul's, Jarrow, but by the time of his death in 735 was surely the most learned man in Europe. — Tom Shippey, ‘I Lerne Song’, London Review of Books 29:4, p. 19

adjective

  1. capitalized, not comparable Designating a person who is an oblate, of or belonging to an order of oblates. an Oblate Father

oblate²

  • /ˈɒbleɪt/ UK
  • /ɒˈbleɪt/ UK
  • /ˈɑbleɪt/ US

Rhymes with (UK adjective) -eɪt

Where it comes from

From Late Latin oblātus, from Latin ob (“in front of, before”) + lātus (“broad, wide”), (modeled after prōlātus (“extended, lengthened”)).

adjective more oblate · most oblate

  1. Flattened or depressed at the poles. The Earth is an oblate spheroid.

Opposite: prolate

oblate³

  • /ˈɒbleɪt/ UK
  • /ɒˈbleɪt/ UK
  • /ˈɑbleɪt/ US

Rhymes with (UK adjective) -eɪt

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin oblātus, perfect passive participle of offerō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of offer.

verb oblates · oblating · oblated

  1. rare To offer as either a gift or an oblation.

Thesaurus

adjective

Opposite: prolate

Translations

Every language

adj Flattened or depressed at the poles

Portuguêsoblato
Françaisaplati

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Cite this
MLA

"oblate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/oblate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

oblate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/oblate

Chicago

"oblate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/oblate.

BibTeX
@misc{oblate_2026,
  title = {oblate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/oblate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}