Gibberellic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A plant hormone that promotes stem elongation and fruit development while influencing various growth processes
2. A naturally occurring substance that regulates various physiological functions in plants, enhancing growth and maturation
3. A chemical compound involved in the growth regulation of plants, facilitating processes such as seed germination and flowering

Etymology: Gibberellic acid is named after the fungus genus "Gibberella," which was itself named for the Latin "gibber," meaning hunchbacked or humped, a nod to the swollen, curved shape of the fungus's fruiting bodies. The adjective "gibberellic" is simply that genus name with the chemical suffix "-ic" attached, the same pattern used for many compounds named after their source organism. The substance was identified through a fungus that caused a striking effect on rice. Infected plants grew abnormally tall and spindly, a condition known in Japan as "bakanae," or "foolish seedling" disease. Researchers traced the cause to the fungus and found that its active chemicals stimulated stem elongation, which is why the adjective describes anything that promotes plant growth.