pelorism

P3E1L1O1R1I1S1M3

noun

An abnormality in plants where the flower appears to revert to an earlier form.

OriginAncient Greek πέλωρ →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounpelorism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAn abnormality in plants where the flower appears to revert to an earlier form.

    In my last paper I dwelt chiefly on the remarkable phenomenon of pelorism and what can be learned from it as to the pace of organic change.

    1903, Monthly review: Volume 10
    1 more example

    The extent of pelorism can be environmentally influenced. Should we be awarding peloric orchids without evidence of reproducible flowering?

    1995, American Orchid Society bulletin: Volume 64, Issue 4

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
pelorization

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπέλωρ“monster”
  2. Englishpelorism

From Ancient Greek πέλωρ (pélōr, “monster”) + -ism.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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