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, saɪˈmɪfərəs /

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; cyma

Example Sentences

The sweet, carrion scent of dogwood filled the air; in the evening sunshine, the insects hummed around the dense white cymes hanging low above the grass.

From Literature

Fruit a berry-like juicy drupe, containing 3 small seed-like nutlets.—Shrubby plants, with a rank smell when bruised, pinnate leaves, serrate-pointed leaflets, and numerous small and white flowers in compound cymes.

From Project Gutenberg

Flowers.—Minute; two or three lines across; in large, flat, five-branched cymes; white.

From Project Gutenberg

An inflorescence has the form of a dichotomously-branched cyme bearing small erect cones; those containing the female flowers attain the size of a fir-cone, and are scarlet in colour.

From Project Gutenberg

The flowers, which appear in June and July, are small, white, and arranged in cymes 2 to 4 in. in diameter.

From Project Gutenberg