catkin
a spike of unisexual, apetalous flowers having scaly, usually deciduous bracts, as of a willow or birch.
Origin of catkin
1- Also called ament.
Other words from catkin
- cat·kin·ate [kat-kuh-neyt], /ˈkæt kəˌneɪt/, adjective
Words Nearby catkin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use catkin in a sentence
catkin bearing nut trees, such as the walnut, have a refined structure that makes grafting difficult.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting | Northern Nut Growers AssociationHardiness of catkin also varied greatly and rather consistently from year to year.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting | Northern Nut Growers AssociationIt was here that the records of yields and catkin hardiness were valuable.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting | Northern Nut Growers AssociationSimilarly the fruit of the mulberry represents a catkin-like inflorescence.
catkin, bracted flowers situated along a slender and usually drooping stem.
Trees of the Northern United States | Austin C. Apgar
British Dictionary definitions for catkin
/ (ˈkætkɪn) /
an inflorescence consisting of a spike, usually hanging, of much reduced flowers of either sex: occurs in birch, hazel, etc: Also called: ament
Origin of catkin
1Collins 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 catkin
[ kăt′kĭn ]
A long, thin, indeterminate inflorescence of tiny, petalless flowers growing on willows, birches, oaks, poplars, and certain other trees. The flowers on a catkin are either all male or all female. The female flowers are usually pollinated by the wind. Also called ament See illustration at inflorescence.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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