Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of numerous tropical or subtropical trees, shrubs, or vines of the genus Ficus, especially F. benjamina, commonly grown as a houseplant.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In botany, a very large genus of tropical and subtropical trees or shrubs, of the urticaceous tribe Artocarpeæ, characterized by bearing their minute unisexual flowers within a nearly closed globose or pear-shaped receptacle.
  • noun In zoology, an old genus of mollusks: same as Pyrula.
  • noun In surgery, a fleshy excrescence, often soft and reddish, sometimes hard, hanging by a peduncle or formed like a fig. It occurs on the eyelids, chin, tongue, anus, or reproductive organs. Also called fig-wart.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A genus of trees or shrubs, one species of which (F. Carica) produces the figs of commerce; the fig tree.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun botany A plant belonging to the genus Ficus, including the rubber plant.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun large genus of tropical trees or shrubs or climbers including fig trees

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin fīcus, fig.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin fīcus ("fig")

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Examples

  • In the Southern California version the guy is fondling a ficus, which is not grass.

    Ron's Log 2010

  • Order was soon restored by the interpreter; both sexes and all ages crowded round me with hootings of wonder, and, when they had stared their fill, allowed me to sit down under a kind of ficus, not unlike the banyan-tree (Ficus Indica).

    Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo 2003

  • Order was soon restored by the interpreter; both sexes and all ages crowded round me with hootings of wonder, and, when they had stared their fill, allowed me to sit down under a kind of ficus, not unlike the banyan-tree (Ficus Indica).

    Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo Volume 2 Richard Francis Burton 1855

  • Jennifer: (lowest possible tone) I wonder if Ms. Pelosi knows that the “Joe guy” that yelled at the President is standing behind a ficus tree over there in the corner?

    Beat 360° – 9/17/2009 2009

  • To understand how the Birkman differs from the many other workplace assessments that describe or "label" people, consider a landscaper who can tell you that one of your plants is a cactus and the other is a ficus.

    How I Invented A New Kind Of Personality Test Roger Birkman 2010

  • So this venue, with its white Christmas lights, deer heads on the walls, and hideous plastic ficus trees along the perimeter of the space, was not going to work.

    My Fair Wedding David Tutera 2011

  • Along the shore are ceiba and banana and ficus, and bright emerald clusters of sea lettuce (Chlorophyta), water hyacinth, giant mango trees, the fruit tree called poponjoche, and the bright-blossomed national flower, the Sacuanjocheink.

    Richard Bangs: Nic' of Time Richard Bangs 2010

  • The area is surrounded by ficus trees "so it doesn't look like it's an industrial site," says Mr. Dunn.

    Home-Ice Advantage 2011

  • Along the shore are ceiba and banana and ficus, and bright emerald clusters of sea lettuce (Chlorophyta), water hyacinth, giant mango trees, the fruit tree called poponjoche, and the bright-blossomed national flower, the Sacuanjocheink.

    Richard Bangs: Nic' of Time Richard Bangs 2010

  • Along the shore are ceiba and banana and ficus, and bright emerald clusters of sea lettuce (Chlorophyta), water hyacinth, giant mango trees, the fruit tree called poponjoche, and the bright-blossomed national flower, the Sacuanjocheink.

    Richard Bangs: Nic' of Time Richard Bangs 2010

Comments

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  • clearly underrated

    January 17, 2009

  • Ah, the ficus. My mom used to kill one every couple of years.

    January 17, 2009

  • Also a genus of mollusks corresponding to fig shells.

    January 17, 2009

  • Jennarenn, when your prodigal brother returned home, perhaps?

    January 19, 2009