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nephrolepis

British

/ ˌnɛfrəˈliːpɪs /

noun

Also called: ladder fern. Boston fern. any fern of the tropical genus Nephrolepis, some species of which are grown as ornamental greenhouse or house plants for their handsome deeply-cut drooping fronds: family Polypodiaceae

"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

Etymology

Origin of nephrolepis

New Latin, from Greek nephros kidney + lepis scale (from the shape of the indusium)

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.

Sword Fern, Nephrolepis exaltata: This fern provides birds with hiding areas and nesting materials.

From Los Angeles Times

“For that graceful, slightly to more fully weeping look, just seeing a Nephrolepis fern in a container on a top of a pedestal brings 'Downton Abbey' to mind.”

From Los Angeles Times

Great business is done in bulbs—mostly imported from Holland—stove and greenhouse plants, hardy perennials, orchids, ferns of the “fancy” and “dagger” types of Nephrolepis, and in carnations and roses.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023