moonseed
|moon-seed|
/ˈmuːn.siːd/
crescent-shaped seed
Etymology
'moonseed' originates from Modern English, formed as a compound of 'moon' + 'seed' to describe seeds that resemble a crescent (moon).
'moonseed' is a vernacular English name influenced by botanical Latin 'Menispermum' (from Greek 'meniskos' meaning 'crescent' + 'sperma' meaning 'seed'); the Latin/Greek element describing a 'crescent seed' was rendered in English as the transparent compound 'moon' + 'seed'.
Initially, the term (and its botanical Latin counterpart) emphasized the crescent shape of the seed, and over time the common English name 'moonseed' has retained that descriptive sense while becoming the standard common name for those plants.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a common name for certain climbing woody vines (notably species of the genus Menispermum and related plants) that bear crescent- or moon-shaped seeds; often poisonous.
The moonseed climbed the riverbank, its glossy leaves hiding the crescent-shaped fruits.
Synonyms
Noun 2
the title of a 1998 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter.
I borrowed Moonseed by Stephen Baxter from the library.
Last updated: 2025/09/28 04:53