serotinous en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /səˈɹɑtɪnəs/ (General-American)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /sɪˈɹɒtɪnəs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin sērōtinus (“late (in ripening, etc.); relating to the evening”) (see further at serotine) + English -ous (suffix forming adjectives denoting pertinence or relation to something).
Meanings
- (not-comparable) Synonym of serotine (“developing at a later time or later in a season, especially than is customary with allied species; specifically (botany), of a plant: flowering late in a season”).
- (not-comparable) Of conifer cones: requiring the heat of a wildfire to open, in order to disperse its seed.