spinescent

[ spahy-nes-uhnt ]

/ spaɪˈnɛs ənt /

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adjective

Botany.

becoming spinelike.
ending in a spine.
bearing spines.

Zoology. somewhat spinelike; coarse, as hair.

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

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

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