noun
samara
SA-muh-ruh
noun
1
A dry, winged fruit that does not split open, found on trees such as the ash, elm, and maple.
"Kids love catching maple samaras as they spin down like tiny helicopters."
"The elm's samaras littered the pavement in a thin papery drift."
How to Use Samara
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe papery, winged seed pod that spins and helicopters down from certain trees.
Memory tip
Think of the "helicopter seeds" that fall from maple trees — that spinning wing is a samara.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
maple samara
winged samara
Word Forms
samaras plural, samarae plural
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Kids love catching maple _____ as they spin down like tiny helicopters.
Etymology
From Latin samara ("elm seed"), traced back to a Gaulish word related to a Celtic root for "summer."