‖ samara Bot.
(ˈsæmərə, səˈmɑːrə)
[mod.L. use of L. samara or samera seed of the elm.]
The indehiscent winged fruit of the elm, ash, sycamore (etc.).
| 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 103 He that will plante a Groue of Elmes, must gather the seede called Samara. 1731 Gentl. Mag. I. 40 Sow the Sameria [sic] of the Elm, and Bay-berries, all which come up the first Year. 1830 Lindley Nat. Syst. Bot. 131 Its ovarium..finally changes into a samara which is 1-celled and 1-seeded by abortion. 1960 [see achene]. 1976 New Yorker 12 Jan. 66/2 The best-known samara is the maple key, which is much larger than the fruit of the birch. |