Bulbil

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A diminutive bulb structure that arises on specific plants to facilitate asexual reproduction
2. An auxiliary bulb that forms in lieu of flowers on certain species, aiding in non-seed-based propagation
3. A small, bulb-like formation that develops on some plants to enable vegetative reproduction without seeds

Etymology: The word "bulbil" names a small bulb that forms on a plant, often above ground or in a leaf axil, which can drop off and grow into a new plant. Its path into English runs through Spanish: the Spanish "bulbillo" is a diminutive of the Latin "bulbus", meaning "bulb" or "onion". That Latin word was itself borrowed from the Ancient Greek "bolbós", which described a plant with a round swelling on an underground stem, the same swelling that gives us the onion-like bulb. The Greek root shows up in a surprisingly ordinary place. The "bulb" in "bulbous" and the "bulb" of a light fixture both trace back to the same ancient image of a rounded, swollen plant part. The English word "bulbil" keeps the diminutive idea intact: it is a little bulb, tiny enough to be borne on a stem rather than buried in the soil.