calamus

[ kal-uh-muh s ]

/ ˈkæl ə məs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR calamus ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural cal·a·mi [kal-uh-mahy] /ˈkæl əˌmaɪ/.

the sweet flag, Acorus calamus.

its aromatic root.

any of various tropical Asian palms of the genus Calamus, some of which are a source of rattan.

the hollow base of a feather; a quill.

Nearby words

calamite, calamitous, calamity, calamity jane, calamondin, calamus, calamus scriptorius, calando, calandria, calanthe, calapan

Origin of calamus

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek kálamos reed, stalk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for calamus

It is recognized by converging fibres which look like a pen, and are therefore called the calamus scriptorius, or writers pen.
Buchanan's Journal of Man, May 1887|Various
Walt was thirty-six when Leaves appeared; forty-one when Calamus was written.
Ivory Apes and Peacocks|James Huneker
Others, guiding the calamus with learned hand, draw figures of different shapes and colours on parchments.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
It resembles sweet-flag (Calamus) and has been mistaken for it.
Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants|A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding

The various classes of canes, rattans and others of the Calamus family, have a great importance and value.
A Visit to the Philippine Islands|John Bowring

British Dictionary definitions for calamus

calamus

/ (ˈkæləməs) /

noun plural -mi (-ˌmaɪ)

any tropical Asian palm of the genus Calamus, some species of which are a source of rattan and canes

another name for sweet flag

the aromatic root of the sweet flag

ornithol the basal hollow shaft of a feather; quill

Word Origin for calamus

C14: from Latin, from Greek kalamos reed, cane, stem

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