/
ˈspeɪdɪks/
n.
(pl. spadices
/-siːz/
)
- Botany a spike of minute flowers closely arranged round a fleshy axis and typically enclosed in a spathe, characteristic of the arums.
- Zoology (in certain invertebrates) a part or organ which is more or less conical in shape.
Etymology
C18: via L. from Gk, lit. ‘palm branch’.