monocarpic
|mo-no-car-pic|
🇺🇸
/ˌmɑnəˈkɑrpɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌmɒnəˈkɑːpɪk/
single flowering/fruiting
Etymology
'monocarpic' originates from New Latin and ultimately from Greek; specifically the Greek word 'monokarpikos', where 'mono-' meant 'single' and 'karpos' meant 'fruit'.
'monocarpic' changed from New Latin 'monocarpicus' (itself from Greek 'monokarpikos') and was adopted into English in botanical usage in the 19th century as 'monocarpic'.
Initially, it meant 'bearing fruit once' (or 'single-fruiting'), and over time it has retained that botanical meaning of 'flowering/fruiting only once in a lifetime'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a plant that is monocarpic; a plant that flowers and fruits only once before dying.
After a long period of vegetative growth, the monocarpic finally flowered and then died.
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Adjective 1
of a plant: flowering and fruiting only once in its lifetime, then typically dying (i.e., semelparous).
Many bamboo species are monocarpic, producing a massive flowering event and then dying.
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Last updated: 2025/10/03 11:35