succulent

¹suc·cu·lent

adjective \-lənt\

Definition of SUCCULENT

1

a : full of juice : juicy

b : moist and tasty : toothsome <a succulent meal>

c of a plant : having fleshy tissues that conserve moisture

2

: rich in interest

— suc·cu·lent·ly adverb

Examples of SUCCULENT

1. <vines weighted down with plump, succulent grapes>
2. <a buffet table set with an array of succulent roasts>

Origin of SUCCULENT

Latin suculentus, from sucus juice, sap; perhaps akin to Latin sugere to suck — more at suck

First Known Use: 1601

Related to SUCCULENT

Synonyms

fleshy, pulpy, juicy

Antonyms

juiceless, sapless

Related Words

sappy, watery

Near Antonyms

dehydrated, desiccated, dry, sere (also sear), shriveled (or shrivelled), withered

²succulent

noun

Definition of SUCCULENT

: a succulent plant (as a cactus or an aloe)

First Known Use of SUCCULENT

1825

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, sylvan, xylem

succulent

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any plant with fleshy, thick tissues adapted to water storage. Some succulents (e.g., the cactus) store water only in the stem and have no leaves or very small leaves; others (e.g., agaves) store water mainly in the leaves. Most have deep or broad root systems and are native to either deserts or regions that have a semiarid season. In succulents, the stomata (see stoma) close during the day and open at night—the opposite of the usual pattern—in order to minimize transpiration.