Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

aspidistra

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.51 in modern English

Syllables: as-pidis-tra
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of several Asian plants of the genus Aspidistra, having large leaves and small bell-shaped flowers; widely cultivated as a houseplant.

Example Sentences

"'Thank God they're not gentel aboutit.' 'Some of them are,' said Leiter. 'Tea-cups, aspidistras and tut-tutting all over the place.'"

Etymology

, coined by English botanist John Bellenden Ker in 1822 from a blend of Greek ἀσπίς (aspís, “shield”) + taxonomic name Tupistra (“a sister genus”).

Inflected Forms

aspidistras (plural)

Derived Forms

aspidistral aspidistrin

Synonyms

cast-iron plant bar-room plant aspidistra elatio aspidistra elatior

Questions

What does aspidistra mean?: Any of several Asian plants of the genus Aspidistra, having large leaves and small bell-shaped flowers; widely cultivated as a houseplant.
Where does aspidistra come from?: , coined by English botanist John Bellenden Ker in 1822 from a blend of Greek ἀσπίς (aspís, “shield”) + taxonomic name Tupistra (“a sister genus”).

How to pronounce aspidistra

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