■ noun
1》 a much thickened underground part of a stem or rhizome, e.g. in the potato, serving as a food reserve and bearing buds from which new plants arise.
↘a thickened fleshy root, e.g. of the dahlia.
2》 Anatomy a rounded swelling or pro~ant participle
Origin
C17: from L., lit. 'hump, swelling'.