lycopod

[ lahy-kuh-pod ]

/ ˈlaɪ kəˌpɒd /

noun

any erect or creeping, mosslike, evergreen plant of the genus Lycopodium, as the club moss or ground pine.

Nearby words

lycine, lycopene, lycopenemia, lycoperdonosis, lycophyte, lycopod, lycopodium, lycoris, lycosid, lycra, lycurgus

Also ly·co·po·di·um

[lahy-kuh-poh-dee-uh m] /ˌlaɪ kəˈpoʊ di əm/.

Origin of lycopod

1700–10; < New Latin lycopodium, equivalent to Greek lýk(os) wolf + -o- -o- + New Latin -podium -podium; allegedly so named from the claw-like shape of the root

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lycopodium

The iridescence of certain Alpine clouds is also an effect of diffraction which may be imitated by the spores of Lycopodium.
Six Lectures on Light|John Tyndall
In Russia and in Poland they are composed of decomposed or decayed hawthorn-wood powder and lycopodium.
History of Circumcision from the Earliest Times to the Present|Peter Charles Remondino
Powdered resin or lycopodium thrown on to the flame of a candle from a quill is said to be effective as lightning.
The Peace Egg and Other tales|Juliana Horatia Ewing
First of all we may consider the five species of Lycopodium.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin

The Dwarf-cypress moss (Lycopodium complanatum) is rather plentiful hereabouts, and is used for dyeing yarn.
Lachesis Lapponica|Carl von Linn

British Dictionary definitions for lycopodium (1 of 2)

lycopodium

/ (ˌlaɪkəˈpəʊdɪəm) /

noun

any club moss of the genus Lycopodium, resembling moss but having vascular tissue and spore-bearing cones: family LycopodiaceaeSee also ground pine (def. 2)

Word Origin for lycopodium

C18: New Latin, from Greek, from lukos wolf + pous foot

British Dictionary definitions for lycopodium (2 of 2)

lycopod

/ (ˈlaɪkəˌpɒd) /

noun

another name for a club moss, esp one of the genus Lycopodium

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012