: a somewhat elongated usually horizontal subterranean plant stem that is often thickened by deposits of reserve food material, produces shoots above and roots below, and is distinguished from a true root in possessing buds, nodes, and usually scalelike leaves
Examples of rhizome in a Sentence
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While the flowering shrub is useful for erosion control due to its ability to spread by rhizomes and seeds, the plant can quickly outcompete and displace native plants and should be avoided.
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Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 5 Apr. 2026
Kikuyu, however, is the ultimate in dog-tolerant grasses with its indefatigable, ropy stolons and rhizomes.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Red Fescue Red fescue grass rapidly establishes due to its extensive rhizome system.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 4 Apr. 2026
Squirrels find the rhizome roots distasteful and are deterred by the highly perfumed scent of the blooms.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
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Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 5 Apr. 2026
Kikuyu, however, is the ultimate in dog-tolerant grasses with its indefatigable, ropy stolons and rhizomes.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Red Fescue Red fescue grass rapidly establishes due to its extensive rhizome system.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 4 Apr. 2026
Squirrels find the rhizome roots distasteful and are deterred by the highly perfumed scent of the blooms.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rhizome
Cite this Entry
“Rhizome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhizome. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rhizome
noun
rhi·zome
ˈrī-ˌzōm 
: a rootlike, often thickened, and usually horizontal underground plant stem that produces shoots above and roots below
Medical Definition
rhizome
noun
rhi·zome
ˈrī-ˌzōm
: a usually horizontal subterranean plant stem that is distinguished from a true root in possessing buds, nodes, and usually scalelike leaves
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