corm

Meaning

A short, vertical, swollen, underground stem of a plant (usually one of the monocots) that serves as a storage organ to enable the plant to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as drought.

Synonyms

tuber

root

taro

caudex

dasheen

pseudobulb

bulb

💡

bulbotuber

Etymology

From scientific Latin cormus, from Ancient Greek κορμός (kormós, “trunk stripped of its boughs”).