Meaning of Spadix | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A fleshy spike (inflorescence) with reduced flowers, usually enclosed by a spathe, characteristic of aroids.
2. A male sexual organ of certain cephalopods and hydrozoans (especially the nautilus), used to transfer sperm.

Equivalents

Examples

“The spadix of this plant is frequently quite white, or coloured, and the leaves liable to be streaked with white, and to have black, or scarlet blotches on them.”

“However, the shells of modern nautiluses show the opposite pattern—males are somewhat larger than females, with a wider aperture to accommodate the spadix.”

CEFR level