za·mi·a (z  m - )n. Any of various chiefly tropical American cycads of the genus Zamia, having a thick, usually underground trunk, palmlike terminal leaves, and seeds borne in woody cones. [New Latin Zamia, genus name, from misreading of (n  cs) azniae, pine cone (nuts), probably from Greek azainein, to dry up, from azein, to dry; see as- in Indo-European roots.] |
zamia [ˈzeɪmɪə]
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any cycadaceous plant of the genus Zamia, of tropical and subtropical America, having a short thick trunk, palmlike leaves, and short stout cones
[from New Latin, from Latin zamiae, erroneous reading of phrase nucēs azāniae pine cones, probably from Greek azainein to dry up]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  zamia - any of various cycads of the genus Zamia; among the smallest and most verdant cycadscycad - any tropical gymnosperm of the order Cycadales; having unbranched stems with a crown of fernlike leaves genus Zamia - genus of small evergreen tropical and subtropical American cycads coontie, Florida arrowroot, Seminole bread, Zamia pumila - small tough woody zamia of Florida and West Indies and Cuba; roots and half-buried stems yield an arrowroot |
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