Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having wings or winglike extensions.
  • noun A winged insect of a species that has both wingless and winged forms.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of late; lately.
  • Winged; having membranous expansions like wings.
  • Specifically— In botany, applied to stems and leaf-stalks with the edges or angles longitudinally expanded into leaf-like borders, or to other organs having membranous expansions: opposed to apterous.
  • In conchology, having an expanded lip: applied to shells. See cut under A porrhaidæ.
  • In architecture, having wings, as a building: as, “an alate temple,”

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Winged; having wings, or side appendages like wings.
  • adverb Archaic Lately; of late.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb archaic recently; lately; of late
  • adjective entomology, botany Having winglike extensions or parts; winged.
  • noun A winged, reproductive form of several social insects

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (of seeds or insects) having winglike extensions

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin ālātus, from āla, wing.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

a- +‎ late

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin alatus, from ala ("wing")

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Examples

  • You run for the VP GOP ticket, drag your family through the mud, travel to the lower 48, get inot sqabble wit alate nite comic, and you blame the media?

    In Big Shocker, Palin Resigns As Governor 2010

  • It was alate at night and a wee dram must affected the grey cell motion.

    Monbiot v Monckton « Climate Audit 2006

  • Before I woke Poddy I took care of that alate pseudosimian, that "fairy."

    Podkayne Of Mars Heinlein, Robert A. 1963

  • Before I woke Poddy I took care of that alate pseudosimian, that "fairy."

    Podkayne Of Mars Heinlein, Robert A. 1963

  • This latter name I consider the correct one, for these organs unquestionably preside over alate equilibrium: they are true balancers.

    The Dawn of Reason or, Mental Traits in the Lower Animals James Weir 1881

  • The old Battery out on the marshes was our place of study, and a broken slate and a short piece of alate pencil were our educational implements: to which Joe always added a pipe of tobacco.

    Great Expectations 1860

  • New co-owner David Sullivan has reacted angrily to Spurs making alate move to take Gudjohnsen from Monaco, after the Icelandinternational had undergone a medical and looked set to join GianfrancoZola's squad.

    Football.co.uk news feed 2010

  • New co-owner David Sullivan has reacted angrily to Spurs making alate move to take Gudjohnsen from Monaco, after the Icelandinternational had undergone a medical and looked set to join GianfrancoZola's squad.

    Football.co.uk news feed 2010

  • New co-owner David Sullivan has reacted angrily to Spurs making alate move to take Gudjohnsen from Monaco, after the Icelandinternational had undergone a medical and looked set to join GianfrancoZola's squad.

    Football.co.uk news feed 2010

  • This one had built its web around an outside light, where it managed to snare an ant alate.

    A Snail's Eye View Snail 2010

Comments

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  • US Railway Assn. Standard Cipher Code, 1906; telegraphers' shorthand for "agent's balance sheet shows large balance; investigate and report".

    January 19, 2013