rhizome

[ rahy-zohm ]
See synonyms for rhizome on Thesaurus.com
nounBotany.
  1. a rootlike subterranean stem, commonly horizontal in position, that usually produces roots below and sends up shoots progressively from the upper surface.

Origin of rhizome

1
1835–45; <New Latin rhizoma<Greek rhízōma root, stem, noun of result from rhizoûn to fix firmly, take root, derivative of rhízaroot1

Other words from rhizome

  • rhi·zom·a·tous [rahy-zom-uh-tuhs, -zoh-muh-], /raɪˈzɒm ə təs, -ˈzoʊ mə-/, adjective

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

How to use rhizome in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rhizome

rhizome

/ (ˈraɪzəʊm) /


noun
  1. a thick horizontal underground stem of plants such as the mint and iris whose buds develop new roots and shoots: Also called: rootstock, rootstalk

Origin of rhizome

1
C19: from New Latin rhizoma, from Greek, from rhiza a root

Derived forms of rhizome

  • rhizomatous (raɪˈzɒmətəs, -ˈzəʊ-), adjective

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

Scientific definitions for rhizome

rhizome

[ zōm′ ]


  1. A plant stem that grows horizontally under or along the ground and often sends out roots and shoots. New plants develop from the shoots. Ginger, iris, and violets have rhizomes. Also called rootstock Compare bulb corm runner tuber.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.