dendron

The combining form -dendron is used like a suffix meaning “tree.” It is used in some medical and scientific terms, including in neurology and botany.

The form -dendron comes from the Greek déndron, meaning “tree.” This Greek root was also ultimately borrowed into English as dendron, another term for a dendrite, the treelike branches at the end of neurons, also called nerve cells.

The form -dendron is a variant of dendro-, a corresponding form combined to the beginning of words.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use dendro- article.

Other variants of dendro- include dendr-, as in dendrite, and dendri-, as in dendriform.

A rhododendron is “any evergreen or deciduous shrub or tree belonging to the genus Rhododendron, of the heath family, having rounded clusters of showy, pink, purple, or white flowers and oval or oblong leaves.”

The first part of the word, rhodo-, means “rose.” As we now know, -dendron means “tree.” So, rhododendron literally translates to “rose tree.” Beautiful—just like the plant!

Rhododendron ultimately comes from a Greek word that uses the equivalent form of -dendron in the language.

What are some words that use the combining form -dendron?

• didendron
• calamodendron
• lepidodendron
• liriodendron (using the equivalent form -dendron in New Latin)
• monodendron
• philodendron (using the equivalent form of -dendron in Greek)
• stomatodendron
• telodendron
• Toxicodendron

What are some other forms that –dendron may be commonly confused with?

• -drome
• demo-
• demono-
• dento-
• deutero-
• odonto-

Philodendron is a type of climbing plant, often kept as an ornamental houseplant. The combining form philo- means “loving.” What does philodendron literally translate to?