What does cycad mean?
A cycad is any member of a small, ancient order of seed plants (Cycadales) characterized by a stout, typically unbranched trunk topped with a crown of large, stiff, featherlike leaves. Though they superficially resemble palms or tree ferns, cycads are neither: they are gymnosperms, more closely allied to conifers and ginkgoes. The lineage is extraordinarily old, flourishing during the Mesozoic era and earning modern survivors the label 'living fossils.' Today roughly a few hundred species persist, concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. In contemporary English, 'cycad' functions as a noun used mainly in botanical, horticultural, and conservation contexts. Many surviving species are rare and threatened, making cycads a frequent subject of conservation discussion and specialist gardening. Knowing the word signals familiarity with plant science and deep-time natural history.
nounA cycad is any of a group of palmlike gymnosperm plants of the order Cycadales, having a stout, usually unbranched trunk and a crown of large, stiff, featherlike leaves. Cycads are ancient seed plants that flourished in the age of the dinosaurs and survive today chiefly in tropical and subtropical regions.
- Any plant of the order Cycadales: an ancient, palmlike gymnosperm with a stout trunk and a crown of large, featherlike evergreen leaves.
- (Loosely) any similar-looking plant informally called a 'cycad,' such as members of related extinct or obscure groups once classified alongside true cycads.
"The botanical garden's oldest specimen is a cycad that has changed little since the Jurassic period."
"Visitors to the conservatory were amazed to learn that the massive cycad predates the evolution of flowering plants."
"Because many cycad species are critically endangered, collectors are required to buy only nursery-propagated plants."
The standard plural adds '-s' without change to the stem. It is used whenever referring to multiple plants or to members of the order collectively.
"Several cycads in the collection date back well over a century."
Cycads were munching material for dinosaurs — and they're still alive today, so nearly unchanged that some botanists call them 'living fossils.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cycad
The word 'cycad' derives ultimately from the Greek 'kykas' (κύκας), which itself came via Arabic from an Indonesian or Malay word for the sago-producing plant Cycas revoluta. Linnaeus adopted this source when he established the genus Cycas in the 18th century, and the anglicized noun 'cycad' arose in the early 19th century as botanists recognized the broader group beyond the single genus. Related terms include the adjective 'cycadaceous' and the genus name 'Cycas' itself.
Related word forms
How cycad is actually used
Cycad is a technical term used mainly by botanists, horticulturists, and gardeners interested in unusual plants; it is uncommon in everyday conversation. It refers to a plant, not to a single species, so writers should avoid treating it as a specific plant name. The plural is simply 'cycads.' Because several cycad species resemble palms or ferns but are neither, careful usage distinguishes cycads from both.
Easily confused with cycad
A cypress is a coniferous tree of the genus Cupressus, unrelated to cycads despite a vaguely similar sound; cycads are palmlike gymnosperms of the order Cycadales.