Meanings
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of spleenwort: any plant of the genus Asplenium.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Hellenic*ə-
- Ancient Greekᾰ̓- (ă-)
- Ancient Greekσπλήν (splḗn)
- Ancient Greekἄσπληνον (ásplēnon)
- Latinasplēnum
- Latinasplēnium
- Englishasplenium
A genericization of taxonomic name Asplenium (“the spleenworts”), from Linnaeus's New Latin adjustment of Latin asplenon (“spleenwort”), from Ancient Greek ἄσπληνον (ásplēnon, “spleenwort”), from ἀ- (a-, “un-”) + σπλήν (splḗn, “spleen”) + -ον (-on, “-um”), from its use to cure anthrax in livestock.
More words from taxonomic name, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with asplenium
All rhymes →Cite this entry
asplenium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asplenium
“asplenium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asplenium. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “asplenium,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asplenium.
Source: asplenium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.