Tomentose

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Covered with a dense layer of short, fine hairs or soft woolly material
2. Having a thick, matted surface of short hairs or fine filaments resembling felt
3. Densely clothed with short, soft hair or downy fibers in a mat-like covering

Etymology: Tomentose describes plant parts covered in dense, matted, woolly hairs, like the underside of some leaves or the stems of certain flowers. The word goes back to Latin "tomentum," meaning stuffing, such as the wool or hair used to fill a cushion or mattress. Botanists built the adjective in New Latin by adding the Latin suffix "-osus," meaning "full of" or "having much of," so the word literally means "full of stuffing." The idea is a useful one to hold onto: a tomentose leaf looks as if someone packed it with soft fibre. The Latin root is itself a relative of "tomentum" in the sense of a pad or padding, which gives the botanical sense a homely, upholstered quality. The word is a technical coinage from the Latin roots rather than an ancient botanical term, so it reflects the classification work of later scientists rather than classical usage.

Synonyms: hairy, fuzzy, pubescent

Antonyms: smooth, glabrous