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bro·me·li·ad

(brō-mēlē-ăd′)

Any of various mostly epiphytic tropical American plants of the family Bromeliaceae, usually having long stiff leaves, colorful flowers, and showy bracts. Bromeliads include the pineapple, Spanish moss, and many ornamentals.

[From New Latin Bromelia, type genus, after Olaf Bromelius (1639-1705), Swedish botanist.]

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bromeliad

silver vase bromeliad

Aechmea fasciata

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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