corm

noun

ˈkȯrm 

: a rounded thick modified underground stem base bearing membranous or scaly leaves and buds and acting as a vegetative reproductive structure compare bulb, tuber

Examples of corm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plant corms 3 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart after danger of frost. —Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 27 Feb. 2026

Planted in spring after the last frost, gladiolus corms (aka bulb’s sturdier cousin) produce towering spikes of fragrant blooms in nearly every color that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and bumblebees. —Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 24 Feb. 2026

Crocuses grow from corms rather than bulbs and multiply, producing more plants each year. —Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2026

Along with bulbs, tubers, and rhizomes, corms constitute the quartet of underground storage structures that send up their silky blooms once a year — or more, in the case of remontant (repeat-blooming) irises and daylilies. —Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin cormus, borrowed from Greek kormós "tree trunk after removal of the boughs," from kor-, o-grade derivative from the base of keírein "to cut off, shave" + -mos, resultative noun suffix — more at shear entry 1

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for corm

• dorm
• form
• forme
• norm
• storm
• swarm
• warm
• brainstorm
• conform
• deform
• firestorm
• hailstorm

Kids Definition

corm

noun

ˈkȯrm 

: a solid underground part of a stem (as of the crocus) that is shaped like a bulb compare bulb sense 1a, tuber sense 1

Medical Definition

corm

noun

ˈkȯ(ə)rm 

: a rounded thick modified underground stem base bearing membranous or scaly leaves and buds and acting as a vegetative reproductive structure