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Glite Dictionary
asclepiad

asclepiad

9.9
A plant with milky sap and showy flowers like milkweed
  • noun
  • /ˌæskləˈpiːæd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : asclepiade
  • The botanist carefully studied the asclepiad for its unique characteristics and milky sap.

Examples

  • During our hike, we spotted an asclepiad with bright pink flowers near the trail.

  • The garden was filled with beautiful asclepiads that attracted many butterflies.

  • Thus were the meters created: alcaic, asclepiad, hexameter, iambic, trochaic, as well as the stanza forms: the Sapphic, the Pindaric, etc.

    Academic text (2007)

Surface Forms

asclepiad singular
asclepiads plural

Etymology

Asclepiad comes from the Greek god Asclepius, who was the god of 'medicine' and 'healing'. So many plants called asclepiads, like the milkweed Asclepias, were used in traditional medicine, and that link helps explain the name.