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spathes - 3 dictionary results

spathe

  [speyth]
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–noun Botany.
a bract or pair of bracts, often large and colored, subtending or enclosing a spadix or flower cluster.
Origin:
1775–85; < L spatha < Gk spáthē blade, sword, stem; cf. spade 2

Related forms:
spathed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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spathe   (spāth)   
n.  A leaflike bract that encloses or subtends a flower cluster or spadix, as in the jack-in-the-pulpit and the calla.

[Latin spatha, broadsword, from Greek spathē, broad blade.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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spathe   (spā)  Pronunciation Key 


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A large, leaflike, often showy bract that encloses a flower cluster or spadix, as in the jack-in-the-pulpit or calla lily.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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