cernuous

C3E1R1N1U1O1U1S1
/ˈsɜː(ɹ)nju.əs/

adjective

Inclining or nodding downward; pendulous; drooping.

“cernuous bud/flower/fruit/theca”

Similar
droopingnoddingpendulousweepingunerect
OriginLatin cernuus →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

adjectivecernuous (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyInclining or nodding downward; pendulous; drooping.

    cernuous bud/flower/fruit/theca

    1 more example

    Walking up Redwood Avenue with its tunnel of cernuous willows.

    2005, Zadie Smith, On Beauty, Penguin Books (2006), page 80

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivehaving branches or flower heads that bend downward

Similar
droopingnoddingpendulousweepingunerect
Also see
droopingnoddingpendulousunerectweeping

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latincernuus“with the face turned toward the earth”
  2. Englishcernuous

Latin cernuus (“with the face turned toward the earth”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

coenurus
Cite this entry
APA

cernuous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cernuous

MLA

“cernuous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cernuous. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cernuous,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cernuous.

Source: cernuous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.