spathe

[speyth]

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noun Botany.

a bract or pair of bracts, often large and colored, subtending or enclosing a spadix or flower cluster.

Origin of spathe

1775–85; < Latin spatha < Greek spáthē blade, sword, stem; cf. spade²

Related formsspathed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spathe

Historical Examples of spathe

The spathe which contains the flowers is also put to many uses.
The Forest Exiles
Mayne Reid
On examining the tub I have spoken of, we found that it was formed from the spathe of the palm.
On the Banks of the Amazon
W.H.G. Kingston
Operations begin when the spathe is still enclosed by its sheath.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India
Edgar Thurston
This organ, rolled up in a coil or spiral, is named the spathe.
Everyday Objects
W. H. Davenport Adams
In Richardia æthiopica one or more leaves become occasionally as white as the spathe is usually.
Vegetable Teratology
Maxwell T. Masters

British Dictionary definitions for spathe

spathe

noun

a large bract, often coloured, that surrounds the inflorescence of aroid plants and palms

Derived Formsspathaceous (spəˈθeɪʃəs), adjectivespathed, adjective

Word Origin for spathe

C18: from Latin spatha, from Greek spathē a blade

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

Science definitions for spathe