Brunellia

noun

Bru·​nel·​lia

brüˈnelēə,

-lyə

: a small genus (coextensive with the family Brunelliaceae of the order Ranales) of tropical American trees having unisexual panicled apetalous flowers and follicular fruits

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, from Gabriele Brunelli †1797 Italian botanist + New Latin -ia -ia

Note: Taxon introduced by the Spanish botanists José Antonio Pavón Jiménez (1754-1840) and Hipólito Ruiz López (1754-1816) in Florae Peruvianae, et Chilensis Prodromus (Madrid, 1794), p. 71; this was the introductory volume of what would ultimately be a ten-volume description of the plants collected by the two men during their royally sponsored expedition to the Viceroyalty of Peru (1777-88). Ruiz and Pavón dedicate the name to Brunelli as "the famous professor of botany, and curator of the Bologna public garden" ("Genus dicatum D. Gabrieli Brunelli, celebri Botanices Professori, et Horti publici Bononiensis Custodi").

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!