# spatula

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈspætjʊlə/ · frequency rank #34,696

## Definitions
1. A kitchen utensil consisting of a flat surface attached to a long handle, used for turning, lifting, or stirring food.
2. A kitchen utensil consisting of a flexible surface attached to a long handle, used for scraping the sides of bowls.
3. A palette knife.
4. A thin hand tool, often made of nickel, for handling chemicals or other materials, when weighing, etc.
5. A tongue depressor.
6. A croupier's tool for turning up cards in a casino.
7. A sclerotized, T-shaped plate in the prothorax of larvae of flies belonging to family Cecidomyiidae, the gall midges.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin spatula (“a flat piece”), the diminutive form of spatha (“broad or flat tool”), from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē, “a broad wood or metal blade”). Doublet of spauld; compare spatha and spathe.

## Common misspellings (10)
`psatula`, `saptula`, `spatlua`, `spattula`, `spatual`, `spatulla`, `spautla`, `sppatula`, `sptaula`, `sspatula`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/spatula