triffid

/ ˈtrɪfɪd /

noun

1. any of a species of fictional plants that supposedly grew to a gigantic size, were capable of moving about, and could kill humans

Word History and Origins

Origin of triffid¹

from the science fiction novel The Day of the Triffids (1951) by John Wyndham

Example Sentences

The future, it seemed, needed a Martian or two or a Triffid or two.

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As president, Donald Trump would prove to be both a Martian and a Triffid.

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He went so far as to name an outsize thistle that grew in his vegetable garden “the Triffid.”

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There is something of the triffid about them.

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Regulation that prevents The Next Big Thing is truly a lost opportunity—many once-touted biotech innovations have been killed in the crib by over-regulation: Triffid flax, Flvr Savr tomato, NewLeaf Potatoes and almost the entire field of transgenic animals.

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