pothos
/ˈpoʊθoʊs/ noun, proper noun
Forms pothoses
- noun Any vine of species Epipremnum aureum, widely cultivated as a houseplant, once classified in the genus Pothos.
- noun Any plant in the genus Pothos; a genus of plants consisting of subtropical and tropical, climbing, flowering vines, indigenous to the environs of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.
- proper noun (Greek mythology) One of Aphrodite's erotes, brother to Himeros and Eros.
Synonyms
Etymology
From translingual Pothos, the genus name. The similarity to Ancient Greek Πόθος (Póthos), the name of one of Aphrodite's erotes who was said to carry a vine (from πόθος (póthos, “yearning, desire”)) is noted; however, other references give the origin as Sinhalese පෝටා වැල් (pōṭā wæl).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “pothos”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details