frond

IPA/frɒnd/
KK[frˈɑnd]IPA/frɑːnd/

frond — noun

  • frondsingular
  • frondsplural

1. A frond is one of the large, feather-like leaves that grow on ferns, palm trees,

1.名詞B2
釋義

A frond is one of the large, feather-like leaves that grow on ferns, palm trees, and cycad plants. Fronds are usually made of many narrow parts arranged along a central stem, giving them a divided appearance.

例句

Thiago found a dried fern frond on the forest path and took it home.

fern frond — collocation with plant type

Every spring, the young fern fronds uncurl slowly, reaching toward the warm sunlight.

young fern fronds uncurl — growth verb + frond

同義詞
  • leaf

    General term for any flat, green part of a plant. 'Frond' is more specific and limited to ferns, palms, and cycads.

  • blade

    Refers to the flat part of a leaf or a grass leaf. 'Blade' usually describes a single narrow strip, whereas 'frond' describes the whole divided leaf.

文法句型

frond + of + [plant]

[plant type] + frond

用法筆記

Often used together with the plant name, as in 'fern frond' or 'palm frond'. Fronds grow from the stem or trunk of the plant, not from branches. Unlike ordinary leaves, fronds are typically large and divided into many smaller parts.

常見錯誤

❌I picked a frond from the rose bush in the garden.
✅I picked a leaf from the rose bush in the garden.
💡'Frond' is only used for ferns, palms, cycads, and similar plants, not for ordinary flowering plants.
❌The oak tree has many green fronds on its branches.
✅The oak tree has many green leaves on its branches.
💡Most trees have leaves, not fronds. Only certain plant families (ferns, palms, cycads) produce fronds.

2. In some seaweeds, lichens, and similar organisms, a frond is the flat, leaf-shap

2.名詞C1
釋義

In some seaweeds, lichens, and similar organisms, a frond is the flat, leaf-shaped part of the body that grows outward from where it attaches to a surface such as a rock or the ocean floor.

例句

After the storm, long brown seaweed fronds lay scattered across the sandy beach.

seaweed fronds — collocation with organism type

Kenji collected a bright green seaweed frond from the rock pool for his science project.

同義詞
  • thallus

    Scientific term for the plant body of seaweeds and lichens that has no true stems, leaves, or roots. 'Frond' is a more everyday word for the leaf-like part of a thallus.

  • kelp

    Refers to a specific type of large seaweed. 'Kelp' names the whole plant, whereas 'frond' names only its leaf-like parts.

文法句型

[seaweed type] + frond

frond + of + [organism]

用法筆記

Used mainly in biology and nature writing. Unlike sense 1, the frond here is not a true leaf — it is a thallus, meaning a plant body that is not divided into stems and leaves. The organisms in this sense (seaweeds, lichens) do not belong to the same plant groups as ferns or palms.

常見錯誤

❌The lichen fronds are true leaves of the organism.
✅The lichen fronds are leaf-like structures, but they are not true leaves.
💡Fronds in this sense are thallus structures, not true leaves with veins and stems.