alectoria

1 of 2

noun (1)

al·​ec·​to·​ria

ˌa-lək-ˈtȯr-ē-ə

variants or allectory

ə-ˈlek-tə-rē

or alectorian

ˌa-lək-ˈtȯr-ē-ən

or alectorius

ˌa-lək-ˈtȯr-ē-əs

plural alectoriae

ˌa-lək-ˈtȯr-ē-ˌē

or allectories or alectorians or alectorii

ˌa-lək-ˈtȯr-ē-ˌī

: a talismanic stone that is supposedly found in the crop of a cock and is believed to be magical

Alectoria

2 of 2

noun (2)

Al·​ec·​to·​ria

ˌa-lək-ˈtȯr-ē-ə

: a genus of lichens (family Usneaceae) characterized by a dark brown erect or pendulous much-branched thallus of cylindrical form

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

alectoria, allectory from Medieval Latin alectoria, short for Latin alectoria gemma, literally, cock's gem, from alectoria (feminine of alectorius of a cock, from Greek alektōr cock) + gemma gem; alectorian from Latin alectorius + English -an; alectorius from Latin, adjective

Noun (2)

New Latin, from Greek alektōr cock (probably from Alektōr, a name) + New Latin -ia

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1821, in the meaning defined above

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!