Meanings
pothos1
plural pothoses
- countableuncountableAny vine of species Epipremnum aureum, widely cultivated as a houseplant, once classified in the genus Pothos.
Vines of golden pothos climb the steel support beams.
2009 February 2, Kenyon Wallace, “A factory fitted for a green future”, in Toronto Star - countableuncountableAny plant in the genus Pothos; a genus of plants consisting of subtropical and tropical, climbing, flowering vines, indigenous to the environs of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.
Pothos2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounevergreen liana widely cultivated for its variegated foliage
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Sinhaleseපෝටා වැල්
- Ancient GreekΠόθος
- translingualPothos
- Englishpothos
From translingual Pothos, the genus name. The similarity to Ancient Greek Πόθος (Póthos), the name of one of Aphrodite's erotes who was said to carry a vine (from πόθος (póthos, “yearning, desire”)) is noted; however, other references give the origin as Sinhalese පෝටා වැල් (pōṭā wæl).
More words from translingual, Ancient Greek, Sinhalese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French pothos
- pothosEpipremnum species
Spanish pothos
- pothosEpipremnum species
Cite this entry
pothos. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pothos
“pothos.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pothos. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pothos,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pothos.
Source: pothos on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.