Definition of 'tuber'
Word forms: plural tubers
countable noun
A tuber is the swollen underground stem of particular types of plants.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
tuber in British English
noun
1.
a fleshy underground stem (as in the potato) or root (as in the dahlia) that is an organ of vegetative reproduction and food storage
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C17: from Latin tūber hump
Word Frequency
tuber in American English
noun
1.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
L, lit., a swelling, knob, truffle < IE *teubh- < base *tēu-, to swell > thumb, L tumere, to swell
Word Frequency
tuber in American English 1
(ˈtuːbər, ˈtjuː-)
noun
1. Botany
a fleshy, usually oblong or rounded thickening or outgrowth, as the potato, of a subterranean stem or shoot, bearing minute scalelike leaves with buds or eyes in their axils from which new plants may arise
2. Anatomy
a rounded swelling or protuberance; a tuberosity; a tubercle
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
tuberless adjective
tuberoid
adjective
Word origin
[1660–70; ‹ L tūber bump, swelling. Compare truffle]Word Frequency
tuber in American English 2
(ˈtuːbər, ˈtjuː-)
noun
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1920–25; tube + -er1]Examples of 'tuber' in a sentence
tuber
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Word lists with
tuber
terms used in botanyQuick word challenge
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Which term used in botany am I?
the reproductive structure of angiosperm plants, consisting normally of stamens and carpels surrounded by petals and sepals all borne on the receptacle (one or more of these structures may be absent). In some plants it is conspicuous and brightly coloured and attracts insects or other animals for pollination
Which term used in botany am I?
a simple embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, which, in some species, forms the first green leaf after germination
Which term used in botany am I?
a carpel or pistil enclosing the seeds of a plant, esp a flowering plant
Which term used in botany am I?
the covering of the spore-bearing capsule of a moss
Which term used in botany am I?
a fine powdery substance produced by the anthers of seed-bearing plants, consisting of numerous fine grains containing the male gametes
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tuber
British English: tuber
/ˈtjuːbə/ NOUN
A tuber is the swollen underground stem of particular types of plants.
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Definition of tuber from the Collins English Dictionary
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