samara

noun

sa·​ma·​ra ˈsa-mə-rə 

sə-ˈma-rə, 

-ˈmär-ə 

: a dry indehiscent usually one-seeded winged fruit (as of an ash or elm tree)

called also key

Illustration of samara

Did you know?

Not familiar with the term samara referring to the winged fruit of the elm, ash, maple, and sycamore, among other trees? Then how about "key," "whirlybird," "helicopter," "whirligig," or "spinning jenny"? Those nicknames are all excellent descriptors of a samara. A samara resembles a key and when it falls its unique shape enables it to spin like a helicopter's rotor and drift away from its tree. Botanists began using the term "samara" in the late 16th century. In Latin, it means literally "seed of the elm."

Examples of samara in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tree of heaven seed clusters hang down, each seed inside a flat samara like a small disc, that dries to brown-gray in winter. —Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 31 Oct. 2019

The samara autorotating wing drones themselves could conceivably carry small payloads like sensors or emergency medical supplies, with these small-scale versions in the video able to handle an extra 30 grams of payload. —IEEE Spectrum, 8 July 2019

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, seed of the elm

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for samara

• camera

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Kids Definition

samara

noun

sa·​ma·​ra ˈsam-ə-rə 

sə-ˈmar-ə, 

-ˈmär-

: a dry usually one-seeded winged fruit (as of an elm tree) that does not split open when ripe

Geographical Definition

Samara

geographical name

Sa·​ma·​ra sə-ˈmär-ə 

variants or 1935–91 Kuybyshev

ˈkwē-bə-ˌshef 

ˈkü-ē-bə-, 

-ˌshev

city of eastern Russia in Europe in the valley of the Volga River population 1,165,000