enation

E1N1A1T1I1O1N1

noun

A small outgrowth on the surface of a plant organ.

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Scrabble 7

Meanings

nounenation (countable and uncountable, plural enations)

plural enations

  1. countableuncountablebiologyA small outgrowth on the surface of a plant organ.

    Infected trees are stunted, with narrow leaves, often with large enations on their underside.

    1996, M. Diekmann, C. A. J. Putter, Stone Fruits, page 20
    2 more examples

    In field infections, the enations are very small and appear as gray streaks on the backs of the leaves. However, conspicuous enations appear on plants inoculated and reared in the glasshouse (Lindsten, 1961a; Catherall, 1970).

    1977, Robert G. Milne, Osvaldo Lovisolo, “Maize Rough Dwarf and Related Viruses”, in Karl Maramonosch, Max A Lauffer, editors, Advances in Virus Research, volume 21, page 282

    Irrespective of how the terminal position of sporangia on short lateral branches evolved, we should keep in mind that it was an important step in positioning the developing sporangia so that they could be protected by enations and microphylls.

    1993, Wilson Nichols Stewart, Gar W. Rothwell, Paleobotany and the Evolution of Plants, page 113

    Synonyms: gall

  2. uncountablebiologyThe generation of such an outgrowth.

    Choose varieties resistant to the pea enation virus for summer crops.

    2011, Linda Gilkeson, Backyard Bounty: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Organic Gardening in the Pacific Northwest, page 244
    2 more examples

    Enation is characterized by the formation of very small, leaflike outgrowths — enations — from the lower surface of leaves, usually along the larger veins (fig. 116).

    1965, Albert Julius Winkler, General Viticulture, page 416

    Wallace and Drake (1960, 1961) reported that the woody-gall problem found in Peru, South Africa and Australia was related to vein enation.

    1991, Chester N. Roistacher, Graft-Transmissible Diseases of Citrus: Handbook for Detection and Diagnosis, page 145
  3. countableuncountablegrammarThe property of being enate.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA small outgrowth on the surface of a plant organ.

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More synonyms by meaning

nounline of descent traced through the maternal side of the family

Broader
unilateral descent

nouna natural projection or outgrowth from a plant body or organ

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plant process

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinenatus
  2. Englishenation

From Latin enatus (ēnātus) (from ēnāscor (“spring forth”)) + English + -ion.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

enation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enation

MLA

“enation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enation. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “enation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enation.

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