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spatula

 
Dictionary: spat·u·la   (spăch'ə-lə) pronunciation
n.
  1. A small implement having a broad, flat, flexible blade that is used to mix, spread, or lift material.
  2. A device, such as a small wooden paddle, used to press down the tongue during an examination of the mouth or throat.

[Latin, flat piece of wood, splint, diminutive of spatha, broadsword. See spathe.]

spatular spat'u·lar adj.

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[SPACH-oo-luh] A flattish, rather narrow kitchen utensil that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Depending on the material from which it's made (which includes wood, metal, rubber and plastic), spatulas can be used for a plethora of kitchen tasks. Rigid wood spatulas are good for scraping the sides of pots and turning foods, whereas softer plastic or rubber spatulas are better for stirring ingredients in a curved bowl and folding mixtures together. Flexible metal spatulas-both long and short-are perfect for spreading frosting on cakes. See also turner.

Dental Dictionary: spatula
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n

A flat-bladed instrument without sharp edges used for mixing certain dental materials (for example, cement, plaster of paris, impression pastes).


[Ar]

A bone or stone tool comprising a broad thin blade. The use of such items can rarely be specified, but they seem to have been used for burnishing pottery and in leatherworking.

A wide, flat, blunt, usually flexible instrument of little thickness, used for spreading material on a smooth surface or mixing.

  • obstetric s. — Keller's spatula is a long-handled, 3 ft, rod with a blunt spatulate tip, introduced into the uterus and manipulated from outside the cow or mare. Used to remove the skin of the fetus by blunt dissection. De Bruin's spatula is similar and used for a similar purpose but is short-handled and is manipulated from inside the uterus.
Wikipedia: Spatula
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A common spatula design

A spatula also called a turner, a fish slice, a frying scoop in British English, a flipper in Canadian English, or an egg flipper in Hiberno-English (but see note on usage under Related Utensils below), is a kitchen utensil with a long handle and a broad flat edge, used for lifting fried foods.[1][2] Though the word spatula is used in British English, it refers solely to a mixing and spreading implement.[3] Often the plate scraper is referred to as a spatula. In some parts of Scotland (e.g. Glasgow or Victoria Halls[citation needed]) the spatula is also known as a tosser which refers to the tossing of omelettes or pancakes.

The word spatula, known in English since 1525, is a diminutive form of the Latin term spatha, which means a broad sword (as in spatharius) or a flat piece of wood and is also the origin of the words spade (digging tool) and spathe.[4]

Design

Spatulas have a handle that is long enough to keep the holder's hand away from what is being lifted, flipped, or scraped. The blade is usually somewhat flexible, and shiny. Spatula blades are often longer on the right side than the left, as this is more effective for right-handed people. There are also left-handed spatulas, but these are rare. Most have long slots on the blades to allow liquids to flow through, though some have holes or no perforations at all.

Spatulas are usually made of plastic or metal, with a wooden or plastic handle to insulate them from heat. Spatulas made for outdoor grilling have very long handles. .

Related utensils

Notes


Translations: Spatula
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - spatel, paletkniv

Nederlands (Dutch)
spatel

Français (French)
n. - (gén) spatule, abaisse-langue

Deutsch (German)
n. - Spatel, Spachtel

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σπάτουλα

Italiano (Italian)
spatola

Português (Portuguese)
n. - espátula (f)

Русский (Russian)
шпатель, лопаточка

Español (Spanish)
n. - espátula

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - spatel, spackel, palettkniv, stekspade

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
抹刀, 小铲, 压舌板

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 抹刀, 小鏟, 壓舌板

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 약 숟가락, 압설자, (요리용) 프라이 뒤집개

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - へら, 舌押し器

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ألمبسط " ملعقه أو سكين ألصيدلاني يبسط بها ألمواد أو يمزجها "‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מרית, כף-מריחה‬


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Spatula" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more