Corm
/kɔːrm/noun
A short, swollen underground stem that stores nutrients and produces new shoots.
Did you know?Unlike a true bulb, a corm is mostly swollen stem tissue: plants such as crocuses and gladioli literally preserve their future growth underground.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European (possibly)
PIE
*ker- / *sker-
“A proposed ancient root connected with cutting or separating; the deeper ancestry of Greek κορμός is uncertain.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κορμός (kormos)
“A tree trunk, log, or stem.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κόρμος (kormos)
“A trunk-like body or plant stem.”
18th–19th Century
Botanical Latin
cormus
“A technical botanical term for a swollen underground stem.”
19th Century
English
corm
“A bulb-like underground stem that stores food and produces shoots.”
Modern English
English
corm
“The underground storage stem found in plants such as crocuses, taro, and gladioli.”