pothos

American  

[poh-thos, -thuhs, poth-ohs, -uhs] / ˈpoʊ θɒs, -θəs, ˈpɒθ oʊs, -əs /

noun

• pothos,
  plural
• pothoses
  plural

1. any of various tropical climbing vines belonging to the genera Pothos and Epipremnum, of the arum family, especially E. aureum, widely cultivated for its variegated foliage.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pothos
  plural
• pothoses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pothos

< New Latin (Linnaeus), said to be < Sinhalese

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pothos pothoses

“I grabbed a festive disco ball planter with a pothos in it, came home to put it on our windowsill, and I was just so excited,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025

You may find yourself loitering near the kitchen island, pretending to study a hanging pothos while calculating whether it’s worth another scoop.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2025

Busy gardeners should look for low-maintenance plants like ZZ plants, Chinese evergreens, pothos and philodendrons, while others may choose ferns, peace lilies, baby tears and gardenias that require a bit more attention and care.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 20, 2024

Researchers at the University of Washington have genetically modified pothos plants with a synthetic version of a "green liver" protein found in rabbits, which can process chloroform and benzene.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2023

We found relief from this expedient, which was particularly agreeable, when we could procure the thick leaves of the pothos or some other similar plant.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 2 by Alexander von Humboldt

It rained violently, but the pothoses, arums, and lianas, furnished so thick a natural trellis, that we were sheltered as under a vault of foliage.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 2 by Alexander von Humboldt