raceme

[ rey-seem, ruh- ]
/ reɪˈsim, rə- /

noun Botany.

a simple indeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are borne on short pedicels lying along a common axis, as in the lily of the valley.
a compound inflorescence in which the short pedicels with single flowers of the simple raceme are replaced by racemes.

Origin of raceme

First recorded in 1775–85, raceme is from the Latin word racēmus cluster of grapes, bunch of berries

OTHER WORDS FROM raceme

ra·cemed, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for raceme

British Dictionary definitions for raceme

raceme
/ (rəˈsiːm) /

noun

an inflorescence in which the flowers are borne along the main stem, with the oldest flowers at the base. It can be simple, as in the foxglove, or compound See panicle

Word Origin for raceme

C18: from Latin racēmus bunch of grapes

Medical definitions for raceme

raceme
[ rā-sēm, rə- ]

n.

An optically inactive chemical compound.

Scientific definitions for raceme

raceme
[ rə-sēm ]

An indeterminate inflorescence in which each flower grows on its own stalk from a common stem. The lily of the valley and snapdragon have racemes. See illustration at inflorescence.