cyme

American  

[sahym] / saɪm /

noun

1. an inflorescence in which the primary axis bears a single central or terminal flower that blooms first.

2. a flat or convex inflorescence of this type.

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cyme British  

/ saɪm /

noun

1. an inflorescence in which the first flower is the terminal bud of the main stem and subsequent flowers develop as terminal buds of lateral stems

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cyme Scientific  

/ sīm /

1. A usually flat-topped or convex determinate inflorescence in which the central main stem and each side branch end in a flower. The flowers in the cluster begin blooming from the flower on the main stem downwards or outwards. Baby's breath, dogwood, and the tomato have cymes.

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Other Word Forms

• cymiferous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cyme

1595–1605; < Latin cȳma cabbage sprout < Greek kŷma; see cyma

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cyme

"I cyme all the w'y from Ilford 'cause I'd never seen 'im," she cried.

From Time Magazine Archive

The general name of cyme is applied to the arrangement of a group of flowers in a definite inflorescence.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5 "Fleury, Claude" to "Foraker" by Various

Cymose, furnished with cymes, or like a cyme.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Asa Gray

Diagram of a scorpioid cyme, with opposite leaves or bracts.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Asa Gray

Short-tongued visitors quickly lick up the abundant nectar secreted at the base of each little style, cross-fertilizing their entertainers as they journey across the cyme.

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Neltje Blanchan