spathiphyllum

noun

any of various plants of the genus Spathiphyllum having a white or green spathe and a spike of fragrant flowers and often cultivated as an ornamental

• Syn: ↑peace lily, ↑spathe flower

• Hypernyms: ↑flower

• Member Holonyms: ↑genus Spathiphyllum

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/spay'dheuh fil"euhm, -theuh-, spath'euh-/, n.

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. Also called peace lily, spathe flower.

[ < NL, equiv. to Gk spáth(e) blade, SPATHE + NL -i- -I- (irreg. for -o-) + Gk -phyllon, neut. of -phyllos -PHYLLOUS, in reference to the leaflike appearance of the spathes]

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spathiphyllum /spə-thiˈfi-lum/

noun

Any araceous tropical plant of the genus Spathiphyllum (eg S. wallisii, the peace lily) with lance-shaped leaves and fleshy white spadices of flowers in white spathes

ORIGIN: New L, from Gr spathē a broad blade, and phyllon leaf