pothos

noun

po·​thos ˈpō-ˌthäs  ˈpä-ˌthōs  ˈpō-ˌthōs 

plural pothos

: a southeastern Asian climbing plant (Epipremnum aureum) of the arum family widely grown as a houseplant for its leathery or waxy heart-shaped green leaves with yellow or white variegation

Note: This plant is known by several other common names, including money plant, golden pothos, and devil's ivy.

Pothos is not only one of the most popular houseplants, it's also one of the easiest to maintain and propagate. To give this plant a haircut and share its green bounty with loved ones, there are two methods to propagate it: in water and in soil.

—L. Daniela Alvarez

While it thrives under the sun as a tropical forest plant, the adaptable pothos lives indoors in cooler climes so contentedly it has few other competitors in this category. … And coupled with a useful ability for flourishing even when neglected for long stretches, the pothos is the perfect low maintenance plant for those who struggle to keep more complicated foliage alive.

—Tom Fish

Examples of pothos in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To get the vining look at home, train a climbing plant like philodendrons, monstera, or pothos to climb upwards against a wall. —Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Feb. 2025

This grower’s choice pack features a surprise variety of live plants, which may include Hawaiian pothos plants, snake plants, English ivy, aralia plants, and more. —Maggie Horton, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025

Some varieties—including snake plants, pothos, ZZ plants, and peace lilies—are toxic to cats and dogs and can be harmful to them if ingested. —Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 17 Jan. 2025

For a super-maximalist look, train pothos vines to grow up a wall or across a ceiling. —Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, earlier genus name for the plant (Pothos aureus, later reclassified as Scindapsus aureus and Epipremnum aureum), Linnaeus's re-formation of earlier Potha, borrowed from Sinhalese pōṭā væl or pōṭǣ, names for the plant Pothos scandens

Note: The brief description by Linnaeus of the plant Pothos scandens (Species plantarum, tomus II [Stockholm, 1753], p. 968) refers to his own Flora Zeylanica (Stockholm, 1747), where the plant is described (p. 156) under the name Potha, and to the Thesaurus Zeylanicus (Amsterdam, 1737) of the Dutch botanist Johannes Burman (p. 197). Both the latter and Linnaeus's Flora Zeylanica refer to the Musaeum Zeylanicum (Leiden, 1717), a description of the plants of Sri Lanka compiled by the German-born botanist Paul Hermann (1646-95) and published posthumously by the British botanist William Sherard. Hermann, who lived in Sri Lanka from 1672 to 1677, was later professor of botany at the University of Leiden. In the Musaeum Zeylanicum, each plant is described under an approximation of its Sinhalese name.

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pothos

• golden pothos