Cycas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of tropical and subtropical plant belonging to the family Cycadaceae that features a stout trunk and large, feather-like leaves
2. A genus of seed plants known for their large, cyclical structures reminiscent of palms, often found in warmer climates
3. A member of an ancient group of seed plants characterized by a woody trunk and a crown of large, compound leaves, commonly called cycads

Etymology: The genus name "Cycas" is a modern scientific coinage, not an ancient one, even though the plants it describes are very old. Its roots reach back to Greek "kykas" (or "kykás"), the name the ancient Greeks used for a palm-like plant, but botanists in the 18th century applied the name to this unrelated group of seed plants. Linnaeus established the genus, so the word belongs to the modern taxonomic vocabulary rather than to any classical tradition. The plants themselves are a striking reason the name stuck with scientists. Cycads have a stout, usually unbranched trunk topped by a rosette of large, feathery compound leaves, and their lineage stretches back to the age of the dinosaurs. Their resemblance to palms is superficial, which is why the borrowed Greek name caused confusion, since the plants are gymnosperms, closer to conifers and ginkgoes than to any palm.

Synonyms: sago palm, cycad