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Glite Dictionary
bulbil

bulbil

9.9
A small bulb that grows on a plant and can become a new plant
  • noun
  • /ˈbʌl.bɪl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bulbilo
  • After the flowers faded, bulbils appeared where the blooms had been, signaling new growth opportunities.

Examples

  • In the garden, I noticed several bulbils forming in the axils of the leaves, which could grow into new plants.

  • I've been plucking bulbils off and potting them up for a couple of weeks now.

    Blog text (11)

  • The plant produced many bulbils along its stems, allowing gardeners to propagate it easily.

Synonyms

bulblet
vsbulbil
  • Specialized
9.1

A small bulb-like growth on a plant, often in lilies or onions, that can grow into a new plant

is defined broadly as a bulb growth that can develop into a new plant

Surface Forms

bulbil singular
bulbils plural

Morphology

bulbil = bulb (transparent) = bulb + il

Formed by adding a diminutive suffix to 'bulb', yielding the meaning 'small bulb' which matches the sense.

Etymology

Bulbil comes from the common word bulb plus a small ending -il that means 'small', so a bulbil is a 'small bulb' that forms on a plant and can grow into a new plant.