Philodendron

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tropical climbing or trailing plant with large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves, commonly grown indoors as a decorative houseplant
2. A climbing or trailing plant native to tropical regions, renowned for its striking foliage that features prominent heart-shaped leaves and is frequently cultivated indoors for decorative purposes
3. A type of tropical plant that can climb or trail, characterized by its appealing large, heart-shaped leaves, and often used as an ornamental houseplant indoors

Etymology: The Greek behind "philodendron" is a simple compound: "phílos" means "loving" and "déndron" means "tree," so the whole thing literally means "tree-loving." Ancient Greek writers used the adjective "philodendros" to describe someone or something fond of trees, but the plant name is a much later invention. The botanical term was coined in New Latin, the scientific Latin used by naturalists and taxonomists from the early modern period onward, and it was first recorded in 1877. The plant itself is a climbing aroid from the tropical Americas, and the name fits its habit. Many species grow up trunks and branches in the wild, clinging to them with aerial roots, so a plant that seems to love trees is an apt label. Its name was chosen by botanists to describe that behavior, not by the people who first encountered it.