pilea

[ pahy-lee-uh, pil-ee-uh ]

noun
  1. any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Pilea, of the nettle family, many species of which are cultivated for their ornamental foliage.

Origin of pilea

1
<New Latin (1821), coinage based on Latin pīleus, pilleus skullcap (see pileus, -a2); originally so called because one of the three sepals forms a hood over the fruit

Words Nearby pilea

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pilea in a sentence

  • Cf. Haec mera libertas, hoc nobis pilea donant; and servos ad pileum vocare (Livy).

    Cambridge | Mildred Anna Rosalie Tuker

British Dictionary definitions for pilea

pilea

/ (ˈpɪlɪə) /


noun
  1. any plant of the tropical annual or perennial genus Pilea, esp P. muscosa, the artillery or gunpowder plant, which releases a cloud of pollen when shaken; some others are grown for their ornamental foliage: family Urticaceae

Origin of pilea

1
New Latin, from Greek pilos cap (from the shape of the segments of the perianth)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012