asymmetric-flowered
|a-sym-met-ric-flow-ered|
🇺🇸
/ˌeɪsɪˈmɛtrɪk-ˈflaʊɚd/
🇬🇧
/ˌeɪsɪˈmɛtrɪk-ˈflaʊəd/
having flowers that lack symmetry
Etymology
'asymmetric-flowered' is a compound formed in modern English from 'asymmetric' + 'flowered'. 'asymmetric' ultimately comes from Greek elements — 'a-' (not) + 'symmetria' (measure, symmetry) — via New Latin/Modern English usage; 'flowered' is formed from English 'flower' (from Old French 'flor', Latin 'flōs, flōris') plus the adjectival/past participle suffix '-ed'.
'asymmetric' derives from Greek 'asymmetria' (ἀσυμμετρία) through New Latin/Modern English 'asymmetric'; 'flower' moved from Latin 'flōs, flōris' into Old French 'flor' and Middle English 'flour/flower', then combined with '-ed' to form adjectival uses like 'flowered'. The compound 'asymmetric-flowered' is a descriptive formation in botanical English in recent centuries.
Initially the elements meant 'not symmetric' (from 'a-' + 'symmetria') and 'having flowers' (from 'flower' + '-ed'); over time the compound came to specifically mean 'having flowers that are not symmetric' in botanical descriptions.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having flowers that lack symmetry (i.e., flowers that are not symmetrical in shape or arrangement). Often used in botany to describe species whose individual flowers are asymmetric rather than radially or bilaterally symmetric.
The botanist noted that the specimen was asymmetric-flowered, with each blossom showing a clear lack of symmetry.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/23 12:45