arcuate

Arcuate is an adjective meaning curved or bow-shaped. It derives from Latin arcuatus, from arcus meaning bow. In scientific and medical terminology, arcuate is used to describe structures that have a pronounced curvature rather than a straight form.

In neuroanatomy, the term occurs in several names. The arcuate nucleus is a hypothalamic structure involved in appetite regulation and hormone signaling. The arcuate fasciculus is a white-matter tract that connects language-related areas of the temporal and parietal lobes with frontal regions, supporting aspects of language processing.

In renal anatomy, arcuate arteries and veins run along the base of the renal pyramids at the cortex–medulla boundary, giving rise to smaller vessels that irrigate the renal cortex.

In abdominal wall anatomy, the linea arcuata (arcuate line) is a curved line on the inner surface of the abdominal wall that marks a change in the arrangement of the abdominal aponeuroses and has implications for the layering of tissues around the rectus abdominis.

In botany and descriptive morphology, arcuate can describe leaf shapes or venation patterns that curve toward the margin, indicating a curved, arching form rather than a straight outline.

Overall, arcuate denotes a curved geometry used across disciplines to describe structures whose shape resembles a bow or arc.