zamia

[ zey-mee-uh ]

noun

any of various plants of the genus Zamia, chiefly of tropical and subtropical America, having a short, tuberous stem and a crown of palmlike pinnate leaves.

Origin of zamia

1810–20; <New Latin, misreading of Latin (Pliny) (nucēs) azāniae (plural) pine cone (nuts)

Words Nearby zamia

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

How to use zamia in a sentence

What I call the umbrella palm, but what they call here the cabbage palm—a sort of zamia alsophila—grew abundantly in groups.
The Last Voyage | Lady (Annie Allnutt) Brassey
And so, provisionally at least, this Helmsdale zamia may be regarded as specifically new.
The Testimony of the Rocks | Hugh Miller
Kaiber here brought in some of the nuts of the zamia tree; they were dry and therefore in a fit state to eat.
Journals Of Two Expeditions Of Discovery In North-West And Western Australia, Vol. 2 (of 2) | George Grey
On passing the last, the party emerged on to poorly grassed, desolate-looking sandstone ridges, covered with grass-tree and zamia.
The Overland Expedition of The Messrs. Jardine | Frank Jardine and Alexander Jardine
Many of the plants speak the same language—especially the zamia.
The Bushman | Edward Wilson Landor

British Dictionary definitions for zamia

zamia

/ (ˈzeɪmɪə) /

noun

any cycadaceous plant of the genus Zamia, of tropical and subtropical America, having a short thick trunk, palmlike leaves, and short stout cones

Origin of zamia

C19: from New Latin, from Latin zamiae, erroneous reading of phrase nucēs azāniae pine cones, probably from Greek azainein to dry up

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

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