polypody

[ pol-ee-poh-dee ]

noun,plural pol·y·po·dies.
  1. any fern of the genus Polypodium, as P. vulgare, having creeping rootstocks, deeply pinnatifid evergreen fronds, and round, naked sori.

Origin of polypody

1
1400–50; late Middle English polypodye<Latin polypodion<Greek polypódion (>New Latin Polypodium); see poly-, -pod, -ium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use polypody in a sentence

  • Like all the Polypodies the clusters of sporangia have no indusia.

    How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
  • The reason for linking the species with the Polypodies is found in the rounded sori, which have no indusia.

    How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
  • Their stipes are not jointed to the root stock, nor are their sori at the ends of the veins as in the polypodies.

    The Fern Lover's Companion | George Henry Tilton
  • Often called "Limestone polypody," the beech ferns having formerly been classed with the polypodies.

    The Fern Lover's Companion | George Henry Tilton

British Dictionary definitions for polypody

polypody

/ (ˈpɒlɪˌpəʊdɪ) /


nounplural -dies
  1. any of various ferns of the genus Polypodium, esp P. vulgare, having deeply divided leaves and round naked sori: family Polypodiaceae

  2. any fern of the family Polypodiaceae, all having opaque leaves that are divided in most species

Origin of polypody

1
C15: from Latin polypodium, from Greek, from poly- + pous foot

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