-adelphous

The combining form -adelphous is used like a suffix meaning “having stamens growing together in bundles.” Stamens are the pollen-bearing organ of a flower. The form -adelphous is rarely used in scientific terms, particularly in botany.

The form -adelphous comes from Greek adelphós, meaning “brother.” This same root is also found in the name of the city Philadelphia, “the city of brotherly love.” Find out more at our entry for Philadelphia.

An example of a term from botany that features the form -adelphous is monadelphous, “united into one bundle or set by their filaments.”

The form mon- means “alone” or “single,” from Greek mónos, while -adelphous means “having stamens growing together in bundles.” Monadelphous literally means “having stamens growing together in a single bundle.”

What are some words that use the combining form -adelphous?

• diadelphous
• triadelphous

What are some other forms that -adelphous may be commonly confused with?

• -aceous
• -phagous
• -philious

The combining form di- means “two.” With this in mind, what does the botanical term diadelphous mean?