phyllode

[ fil-ohd ]

/ ˈfɪl oʊd /

Save This Word!

noun Botany.

an expanded petiole resembling and having the function of a leaf, but without a true blade.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of phyllode

First recorded in 1840–50, phyllode is from the Greek word phyllṓdēs leaflike. See phyll-, -ode¹

OTHER WORDS FROM phyllode

phyl·lo·di·al, adjective

Words nearby phyllode

Phyllis, phyllite, phyllo, phylloclade, phyllocladous, phyllode, phyllodium, phyllody, phyllogenetic, phylloid, phyllomania

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use phyllode in a sentence

To emphasize this difference, botanists call such an apparent leaf a phyllodium, or phyllode.
Evolution|Joseph Le Conte

British Dictionary definitions for phyllode

phyllode

/ (ˈfɪləʊd) /

noun

a flattened leafstalk that resembles and functions as a leaf

Derived forms of phyllode

phyllodial, adjective

Word Origin for phyllode

C19: from New Latin phyllodium, from Greek phullōdēs leaflike

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

Scientific definitions for phyllode

phyllode

[ fĭl′ōd ]

A flattened leafstalk that functions as a leaf, as in an acacia.