Spadix
/ˈspeɪdɪks/noun
A fleshy flower spike, often enclosed by a leaflike bract called a spathe.
Did you know?Spadix comes from Greek *spadix*, a word for a broken-off palm frond, and the same root also gave us *spathe*, the sheath-like bract that often surrounds it.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
GRK
σπάδιξ (spádix)
“a broken-off palm frond or palm branch”
Late Latin
LAT
spadix
“a palm branch; later a fleshy flower spike”
Middle French
FR
spadice
“a botanical term for a flower spike”
17th Century
English
spadix
“a botanical term for a fleshy flower spike, especially in plants like arum and palm”