Meanings
plural spadixes · plural spadices
- biologyA fleshy spike (inflorescence) with reduced flowers, usually enclosed by a spathe, characteristic of aroids.
The spadix of this plant is frequently quite white, or coloured, and the leaves liable to be streaked with white, and to have black, or scarlet blotches on them.
1789, Erasmus Darwin, The Loves of the Plants, J. Johnson, page 148 - biologyA male sexual organ of certain cephalopods and hydrozoans (especially the nautilus), used to transfer sperm.
However, the shells of modern nautiluses show the opposite pattern—males are somewhat larger than females, with a wider aperture to accommodate the spadix.
2017, Danna Staaf, Squid Empire, ForeEdge, →ISBN, page 57
Origin
- Ancient Greekσπᾱ́δῑξ“palm branch”
- Latinspādīx
- Englishspadix
Via Latin spādīx from Ancient Greek σπᾱ́δῑξ (spā́dīx, “palm branch”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian спадикс
- спадикс (spadiks)fleshy spike
Catalan espàdix
- espàdixfleshy spike
Czech palice
- palicefleshy spike
Danish kolbe
- kolbefleshy spike
Esperanto spadiko
- spadikofleshy spike
Finnish puikelo
- puikelofleshy spike
German Kolben
- Kolbenfleshy spike
Polish kolba
- kolbafleshy spike
Romanian spadice, spadix
- spadicefleshy spike
- spadixfleshy spike
Russian початок
- початок (počatok)fleshy spike
Spanish espádice
- espádicefleshy spike
Swedish kolv
- kolvfleshy spike
Tagalog balutbulak
- balutbulakfleshy spike
Turkish spadiks, koçan
- spadiksfleshy spike
- koçanfleshy spike
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with spadix
All rhymes →Cite this entry
spadix. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spadix
“spadix.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spadix. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spadix,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spadix.
Source: spadix on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.