astrocaryum
|as-tro-car-i-um|
/ˌæs.trəˈkær.iəm/
star-nut palm (botanical genus)
Etymology
'astrocaryum' originates from New Latin (botanical), ultimately from Ancient Greek, specifically the elements 'astron' and 'karyon', where 'astron' meant 'star' and 'karyon' meant 'nut'.
'astrocaryum' was coined as a Latinized botanical genus name (used in 19th-century botanical literature, e.g. by Martius) formed from Greek roots 'astron' + 'karyon' and eventually became the modern genus name 'Astrocaryum' used in taxonomic nomenclature.
Initially it literally referred to 'star' + 'nut' (a descriptive compound referring to a morphological feature), and over time it came to be used exclusively as the proper name of the palm genus 'Astrocaryum'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a genus of spiny palms (family Arecaceae) native to tropical Central and South America; includes species such as Astrocaryum vulgare and Astrocaryum aculeatum, sometimes called tucum or tucum palm.
The botanist collected several specimens of Astrocaryum during the Amazon expedition.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/07 19:32