Bromeliads

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A varied assemblage of tropical vegetation noted for their unique rosette formations and colorful blossoms
2. A group of primarily epiphytic plants recognized for moisture retention in leaf axils and typically inhabiting warm regions
3. Plants mainly found in tropical areas that form rosettes of leaves often catching water in their centers

Etymology: Bromeliads take their name from Olof Bromel, a Swedish botanist (1639–1705), but the family name Bromeliaceae honours him through Carl Linnaeus, who named the group after Bromel. The plant family itself is the older concept, and the "-ad" ending added to the family name produced the common term for its members. The suffix is the useful clue here. Botanists formed the family name Bromeliaceae from the genus name, and English speakers then took that scientific label and gave it a familiar ending, "-ad," to make a countable noun for individual plants. That is why "bromeliad" sounds less Latin than other plant names: it was shaped by everyday English use rather than by a classical root. The plural follows ordinary English practice, so "bromeliads" refers to several individual plants of the family, most of them epiphytes or rosette-forming species that hold water in their central cups.

Synonyms: bromeliaceae