a. Also 7 teret (9 erron. terate). [ad. L. teres, teret-em rounded (off).] Rounded, smooth and round; now almost always in Nat. Hist., having a cylindrical or slightly tapering form, circular in cross-section, and a surface free from furrows or ridges.
a. 1619. Fotherby, Atheom., II. xi. § 6 (1622), 326. Round and teret, like a globe.
[1760. J. Lee, Introd. Bot., III. v. (1765), 184. Leaves are, Teretes, round like a Pillar; when they are for the most Part cylindric.]
1821. W. P. C. Barton, Flora N. Amer., I. 18. Stem about two feet high, terete.
1845. Lindley, Sch. Bot., v. (1858), 686 b. Fruit terete, obovate, covered with scales or tubercles.
1877. Coues, Fur Anim., iv. 98. Tail long, terete, uniformly bushy or very slender and close-haired, with a terminal pencil.
b. Comb., as terete-elliptical, -linear adjs.
1847. W. E. Steele, Field Bot., 177. Sep[als] and pet[als] ovate-lanceolate, as long as the terate-elliptical, mucronate caps[ule]. Ibid., 108. Pods terate-linear.
Hence Teretish a., somewhat terete. Also † Teretial, † Teretous adjs., terete (obs.).
1658. Sir T. Browne, Gard. Cyrus, iv. 176. Why … there are so few [plants] with teretous or long round leaves?
18[?]. Owen cited in Cent. Dict. for teretial.
190[?]. R. Tuckerman, N. Amer. Lichens, i. 22 (Cass. Supp.). Either narrowed and somewhat channelled, with teretish tips, or dilated.
