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rhizome

[ rahy-zohm ]
/ ˈraɪ zoʊm /
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See synonyms for rhizome on Thesaurus.com
noun Botany.
a rootlike subterranean stem, commonly horizontal in position, that usually produces roots below and sends up shoots progressively from the upper surface.
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Origin of rhizome

1835–45; <New Latin rhizoma<Greek rhízōma root, stem, noun of result from rhizoûn to fix firmly, take root, derivative of rhízaroot1

OTHER WORDS FROM rhizome

rhi·zom·a·tous [rahy-zom-uh-tuhs, -zoh-muh-], /raɪˈzɒm ə təs, -ˈzoʊ mə-/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to rhizome

essence, foundation, heart, origin, seed, soul, source, stem, stuff, basis, bedrock, beginnings, bottom, cause, center, crux, derivation, essentiality, footing, fountain

How to use rhizome in a sentence

  • Gardeners usually divide them into two sections—the tuberous-rooted or rhizomatous, and the bulbous.

    The Practical Garden-Book|C. E. Hunn

British Dictionary definitions for rhizome

rhizome
/ (ˈraɪzəʊm) /
noun
a thick horizontal underground stem of plants such as the mint and iris whose buds develop new roots and shootsAlso called: rootstock, rootstalk

Derived forms of rhizome

rhizomatous (raɪˈzɒmətəs, -ˈzəʊ-), adjective

Word Origin for rhizome

C19: from New Latin rhizoma, from Greek, from rhiza a root
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 rhizome

rhizome
[ rī′zōm′ ]
A plant stem that grows horizontally under or along the ground and often sends out roots and shoots. New plants develop from the shoots. Ginger, iris, and violets have rhizomes. Also called rootstock Compare bulb corm runner tuber.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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