bulbil

[ buhl-bil ]

noun
  1. Botany.Also bul·bel [buhl-buhl, -bel]. /ˈbʌl bəl, -bɛl/. bulblet.

  2. Mycology. a rounded mass of fungus cells resembling a sclerotium but of simpler organization, most commonly produced by certain basidiomycetes.

Origin of bulbil

1
1825–35; <New Latin bulbillus, equivalent to Latin bulb(us) bulb + -illus diminutive suffix

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

How to use bulbil in a sentence

  • The bulbels are then separated and planted by themselves in prepared beds.

    The Nursery Book | Liberty Hyde Bailey
  • Several years are required for the bulbels to mature into flowering bulbs.

    The Nursery Book | Liberty Hyde Bailey
  • Bulbels vary greatly in size and frequency in different species.

    The Nursery Book | Liberty Hyde Bailey
  • Bulbels of some plants require a longer time in which to mature into bulbs.

    The Nursery Book | Liberty Hyde Bailey
  • Fig. 14 shows a portion of the base of 28 a cross-cut bulb, with the adventitious bulbels.

    The Nursery Book | Liberty Hyde Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for bulbil

bulbil

bulbel (ˈbʌlbəl)

/ (ˈbʌlbɪl) /


noun
  1. a small bulblike organ of vegetative reproduction growing in leaf axils or on flower stalks of plants such as the onion and tiger lily

  2. any small bulb of a plant

  1. any small bulblike structure in an animal

Origin of bulbil

1
C19: from New Latin bulbillus, from Latin bulbus bulb

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