glabratum

Glabratum is a Latin adjective used in zoological and botanical nomenclature as the neuter singular form of an epithet meaning hairless or smooth. It is commonly employed in species names to indicate that a particular plant or animal part lacks pubescence, fuzz, or other hair-like coverings, such as glabrous leaves, stems, or bodies.

The term derives from the Latin root glabr-, from glaber, meaning smooth or bare. In Latin grammar, adjectives agree with the gender of the genus noun; thus glabratum is the neuter form, while glabratus (masculine) and glabrat a (feminine) would be used for corresponding masculine or feminine genera. When an epithet is assigned to a neuter genus, the form glabratum is often encountered; for other genders, the matching forms are used.

In practice, glabratum appears in both botanical and zoological names to describe a hairless surface or characteristic. Examples include hypothetical or illustrative combinations such as Artemisia glabratum (plants with glabrous surfaces) or Daphnia glabratum (a hypothetical hairless aquatic crustacean). The descriptor is descriptive rather than indicative of taxonomy beyond morphology, and it may be supplemented by other epithets in a binomial name.

See also: glabrous, glabrescent, Latin adjectives in taxonomy, binomial nomenclature.

Notes for readers may consider that while glabratum conveys hairlessness, the exact anatomical site (leaf, stem, skin, or exoskeleton) and its significance can vary between taxa, and the form should be chosen to agree with the genus gender in formal naming.