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Glite Dictionary
titan arum

titan arum

9.9
A very large tropical plant with a huge flower that smells like rotten meat when it blooms
  • noun
  • /ˈtaɪtən ˈɑːrəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : titan arum
  • The titan arum is also known as the corpse flower.

Examples

  • Botanists traveled from around the world to witness the rare flowering of the titan arum.

  • A titan arum opened in the botanical garden, attracting thousands of curious visitors eager to see and smell it.

  • The titan arum is famous for emitting a strong odor resembling rotting flesh when it blooms.

  • A titan arum can grow up to ten feet tall.

  • The titan arum, often called the corpse flower, is known for its enormous size and foul odor.

  • Visitors flock to the botanical garden to see the titan arum when it blooms due to its unique smell.

  • The titan arum can grow up to ten feet tall, making it one of the most impressive plants in the rainforest.

Synonyms

Amorphophallus titanum
vstitan arum
  • Specialized
9.9

A very large tropical plant with a huge flower that smells like rotting meat

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific label
krubi
vstitan arum
  • Specialized
9.9

A large tropical plant with a very bad smell and a huge flower like a morning glory

is the specific Sumatran plant famous for its huge malodorous flower

Surface Forms

titan arum singular
titan arums plural

Morphology

titan + arum

Knowing 'titan' (suggesting very large) and 'arum' (a type of plant) allows a learner to infer this is a very large arum plant, so the core sense is derivable from the constituents. However, the specific species-level properties (tropical origin, enormous spathe, and malodorous 'corpse flower' quality) are not predictable from the words alone, making the relation only partially transparent.

Etymology

Titan arum gets its name from two simple ideas: titan means very large and arum names the plant group. When it blooms, the single huge flower 'smells like rotting flesh', so people call it the 'corpse flower' and come to see it.