Meaning
A flattened organ arising from the stem of a plant, often replacing the leaves in photosynthetic function, as leaves in such plants (such as asparagus or butcher's broom) are typically reduced to scales.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
From New Latin cladodium, from Ancient Greek κλᾰ́δος (klắdos, “young slip of a tree”).
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
cladophyllphyllocladphylloclade
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2023, 2025.