sterculiaceous

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adjective

Of or relating to the family Sterculiaceae (a former name for Malvaceae) of polypetalous exogenous plants, mostly tropical, including the cocoa plant.

Origintranslingual Sterculia ← Latin Sterculius →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

adjectivesterculiaceous (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyOf or relating to the family Sterculiaceae (a former name for Malvaceae) of polypetalous exogenous plants, mostly tropical, including the cocoa plant.

Origin

  1. LatinSterculius“the deity that presided over manuring”
  2. translingualSterculia
  3. Englishsterculiaceous

From translingual Sterculia + -aceous, the typical genus, from Latin Sterculius (“the deity that presided over manuring”), from stercus (“dung”). So called because one of the original species has a foetid smell.

More words from translingual, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sterculiaceous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sterculiaceous

MLA

“sterculiaceous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sterculiaceous. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sterculiaceous,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sterculiaceous.

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