Arums

Part of speech: noun, plural

Definitions

1. A type of flowering plant characterized by a prominent spadix surrounded by a large, often colorful spathe
2. Commonly found in wet or marshy areas, these plants are known for their striking appearance and unique reproductive structures
3. This group of plants includes species such as the calla lily and jack-in-the-pulpit, valued for their ornamental uses and ecological roles

Etymology: "Arums" is simply the plural of "arum", a name for plants in the genus Arum, which includes the lords-and-ladies and cuckoo-pint. The plural is what you would expect for a botanical genus used in its everyday English sense, so the grammar here is straightforward. The singular comes from the botanical name Arum, which was taken from Latin "arum", itself borrowed from the Ancient Greek "áron". The Greek word was the name of a plant with a tuber, and it passed into Latin and then into scientific Latin, where it was adopted as the genus name. The word is therefore a Greek plant name that reached English through the Latin of botanists rather than through everyday speech.

Synonyms: plants, flowers, calla lilies, arum lilies, cuckoo-pints