coriaceous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of coriaceous
First recorded in 1665–75, coriaceous is from the Late Latin word coriāceus leathern. See corium, -aceous
Explanation
Coriaceous is a botanist's term for leathery in appearance, or just tough. You're not going to see it often used outside scientific contexts. To remember this word, think of corrugated which also describes a kind of surface roughness. Or think about how courageous people like sailors and mountain climbers end up with coriaceous or leathery skin. The word itself is a lesson in historical linguistics: Coriaceous is related to the Latin word corium, which entered English in the 1650s, and traces its history back to the Pan Indo European root *(s)ker-(1), which is responsible for the Sanskrit krtih "hide," and the Old English sceran "to cut, shear."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Calyx 5-parted; the divisions somewhat petal-like, oblong, connivent and coriaceous in fruit, the base and almost the whole length of the pedicel winged on one side.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray
Capsule truncate, coriaceous, 3-lobed, loculicidal at the summit.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray
Scales of the hemispherical involucre ovate or lanceolate, membranaceous or coriaceous, nearly equal, appressed in 2 or 3 ranks, little shorter than the disk.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray
Involucre oblong-clavate; scales coriaceous with green tips, closely imbricated, the outer shorter.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray
Nuts sharply 3-sided, usually 2 in each urn-shaped and soft-prickly coriaceous involucre, which divides to below the middle into 4 valves.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray
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