arilloid
|ar-il-loid|
/ˈærɪlɔɪd/
aril-like (seed covering)
Etymology
'arilloid' originates from New Latin/modern botanical formation, specifically from 'aril' + the suffix '-oid' (from Greek 'oeidēs'), where the suffix meant 'resembling' or 'like'.
'arilloid' was formed in modern botanical English by combining the noun 'aril' (a seed-covering structure) with the Greek-derived suffix '-oid', and entered specialized botanical usage in the 19th–20th centuries.
Initially coined to mean 'resembling an aril' in technical botanical descriptions, the term's meaning has remained essentially the same: 'aril-like' or 'having an aril-like structure'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a structure resembling an aril; an aril-like appendage or covering on a seed.
Many tropical plants produce an arilloid that attracts birds to eat the fleshy covering.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
resembling or having an aril; aril-like (used in botany to describe seed coverings or appendages).
The seeds are surrounded by an arilloid tissue that helps attract dispersers.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/14 07:33