lycopodium

/ ˌlaɪkəˈpəʊdɪəm /

noun

1. any club moss of the genus Lycopodium, resembling moss but having vascular tissue and spore-bearing cones: family Lycopodiaceae See also ground pine

Word History and Origins

Origin of lycopodium¹

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

Example Sentences

The earliest instance of this type of engine is the lycopodium engine of M. M. Niepce, discussed by Carnot, in which a combustible mixture of air and lycopodium powder at atmospheric pressure was ignited in a cylinder, and did work on a piston.

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The signaller, who is always accompanied by a companion with a signal-book, has a brass tube some eight feet long, at the extremity of which is a lantern; in this lantern a spirit-lamp burns; underneath this spirit-lamp is a receptacle in which is placed a powder composed of magnesium, resin, and lycopodium, very much like the mixture with which stage-carpenters produce lightning by blowing it through a candle.

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Amongst the various specifics recommended for the cure of plica, is the lycopodium, hence called herba plicaria; the vinca, or perventia.

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Plants from another planet ... detail from Raphael Hefti's Lycopodium, 2011.

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Raphael Hefti's Lycopodium, 2011 was made by burning spores of the plant on photo paper.

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