Amaryllidaceous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to a family of plants that have bulbous roots and are often characterized by vibrant flowers
2. Connected to the group of flowering plants known for their bulbous root structure and often colorful blooms
3. Associated with a botanical family distinguished by having bulbs and showy flowers

Etymology: The word is built from "amaryllid," a member of the amaryllis family, and the suffix "-aceous," which in botanical Latin marks a plant family name, borrowed from Latin "-aceus," meaning "of the nature of" or "resembling." Put together, "amaryllidaceous" means "belonging to the amaryllis family" and is used to describe plants within it, such as daffodils, snowdrops and agaves. The name at the core comes from "Amaryllis," a shepherdess who appears in Greek and Roman pastoral poetry, and the flower was named after her. Botanists then extended the name to the wider family, so the adjective's root is a literary figure rather than a plant term. Because the family is defined by botanists rather than by everyday observation, the adjective is almost entirely a technical term.