elodea

noun

elo·​dea i-ˈlō-dē-ə How to pronounce elodea (audio)
: any of a small American genus (Elodea) of submerged aquatic monocotyledonous herbs

Examples of elodea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Plants include bacopa, elodea, stream moss, duckweed, azolla and ludwigia. —Janene Holzberg, baltimoresun.com, 3 Sep. 2019 The Susitna River Coalition is among the participants in a task force aimed at eradicating elodea from the Mat-Su Valley. —Author: Elizabeth Earl, Anchorage Daily News, 20 June 2019 The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed Alexander and Sucker lakes to all access this summer, specifically targeting controlling the spread of elodea. —Author: Elizabeth Earl, Anchorage Daily News, 20 June 2019

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, derivative from the base of Greek helṓdēs "marshy," from hélos (neuter s-stem) "wet meadow, marsh" (probably going back to Indo-European *selos- "marsh," whence also Sanskrit sáraḥ "pond, lake") + -ōdēs "like, having the nature of" (probably generalized from adjectives describing smells, as kēṓdēs "smelling like incense," from the base od- of ózein "to smell, give off odor") — more at odor

Note: Genus named by the French botanist André Michaux (1746-1802) in Flora Boreali-Americana, vol. 1 (1803), p. 20.

First Known Use

circa 1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of elodea was circa 1868

Dictionary Entries Near elodea

elocution

elodea

eloge

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Elodea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elodea. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

elodea

noun
elo·​dea i-ˈlōd-ē-ə How to pronounce elodea (audio)
: any of a small genus of American herbs with leafy stems that live underwater

More from Merriam-Webster on elodea

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about elodea

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