any of various tropical plants of the genus Spathiphyllum, having a white or green spathe and a spike of fragrant flowers and often cultivated as an ornamental.
Origin: < NL, equiv. to Gk spáth(ē) blade, spathe+ NL -i--i-(irreg. for -o-) + Gk -phyllon, neut. of -phyllos-phyllous, in reference to the leaflike appearance of the spathes
[spey-th
uh-fil-uh