spinescent

First recorded in 1785–95, spinescent is from the Late Latin word spīnēscent- (stem of spīnēscēns, present participle of spīnēscere to grow thorny). See spine, -escent

OTHER WORDS FROM spinescent

spi·nes·cence, noun

Words nearby spinescent

spine-chilling, spinel, spineless, spinel ruby, spine of scapula, spinescent, spinet, spine-tingling, spin fishing, Spingarn, spiniferous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use spinescent in a sentence

The capillitium is remarkably spinescent, the branching of the threads, rare.
The North American Slime-Moulds|Thomas H. (Thomas Huston) MacBride
Resembles the first species somewhat in habit, size, and the spinescent capillitium, but the resemblance is superficial only.
The North American Slime-Moulds|Thomas H. (Thomas Huston) MacBride
Leaves alternate, deciduous, abruptly once-pinnate; leaflets mucronate; stipules usually spinescent.
Trees of the Northern United States|Austin C. Apgar
Characters of Dipsacus, but the green leaves of the involucre and involucels not rigid nor spinescent.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray

In the Pear and Sloe all gradations occur between spines and spine-like (spinescent) branches.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for spinescent

spinescent

/ (spaɪˈnɛsənt) /

adjective biology

having or resembling a spine or spines

becoming spiny

Derived forms of spinescent

spinescence, noun

Word Origin for spinescent

C18: from Late Latin spīnēscere to become thorny, from Latin spīna a thorn

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