Meanings
plural spathes
- biologyA large bract that envelops or subtends a whole inflorescence, typically a spadix.
All the joints and angles are coffered with strips of split rattan sewn neatly on. The lid is covered with the brown leathery spathe of the Areca palm, which is impervious to water, and the whole box is neat, strong, and well finished.
1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 257
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greekσπάθη“blade”
- Latinspatha
- Englishspathe
From Latin spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē, “blade”). Doublet of epee, spatha, and spade.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish spatha, puikelon suojuslehti
- spathalarge bract that envelopes a spadix
- puikelon suojuslehtilarge bract that envelopes a spadix
Icelandic hulsturblað
- hulsturblaðlarge bract that envelopes a spadix
Polish pochwa kwiatostanowa
- pochwa kwiatostanowalarge bract that envelopes a spadix
Swedish hölsterblad, hölster
- hölsterbladlarge bract that envelopes a spadix
- hölsterlarge bract that envelopes a spadix
Vietnamese mo
- molarge bract that envelopes a spadix
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with spathe
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
spathe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spathe
“spathe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spathe. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spathe,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spathe.
Source: spathe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.