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dief·fen·bach·i·a

(dē′fən-bäkē-ə, -băkē-ə)

Any of several plants of the genus Dieffenbachia native to tropical America, having stout, jointed stems and large, variegated leaves and widely cultivated as an indoor plant. Also called dumb cane.

[New Latin, genus name, after Ernst Dieffenbach (1811-1855), German naturalist.]

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dieffenbachia

spotted dumb cane

Dieffenbachia seguine

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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