frond
Americannoun
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an often large, finely divided leaf, especially as applied to the ferns and certain palms.
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a leaflike expansion not differentiated into stem and foliage, as in lichens.
noun
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a large compound leaf, esp of a fern
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the thallus of a seaweed or a lichen
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A leaf of a fern or cycad, usually consisting of multiple leaflets.
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A large, fanlike leaf of a palm tree.
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A leaflike structure such as the thallus of a lichen or a seaweed.
Other Word Forms
- fronded adjective
- frondless adjective
Etymology
Origin of frond
1745–55; < Latin frond- (stem of frōns ) branch, bough, foliage
Explanation
A compound leaf — that is, a leaf with many fine and deep divisions — is a frond, such as on ferns and palm trees. Although commonly referring to the leafy part of a fern or palm, the noun frond can also refer to anything that has a similar shape to a palm frond or fern frond. If your bedhead is really bad, people may joke about your combing your fronds. In parts of the United States and Canada, you may eat the fronds of fiddlehead ferns, which are cooked and served as a vegetable.
Vocabulary lists containing frond
The Cay
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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.
A decade later, now a professional camera operator, he found himself in a sunny field in Greenford, filming close up shots of Sir David releasing harvest mice on to a grass frond.
From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026
This means each frond is a major investment of resources that the plant repurposes after the leaf dies.
From Science Daily • Jan. 29, 2024
I didn’t see it, but somebody told me Jim Cantore did get hit with a palm frond during part of his coverage.
From Slate • Sep. 30, 2022
Palm fronds can tear away and tumble toward pedestrians below; in the best-case scenario, when the frond doesn’t hit anyone or a car, it becomes litter.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2021
Not even enough to drip through the palm frond roof.
From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
