Definition of incubous in English:
incubous
adjective ˈɪŋkjʊbəsˈiNGkyo͝obəs
Botany (of a liverwort) having leaves which point forward so that their upper edges overlap the lower edges of the leaves above.
Often contrasted with succubous
Example sentencesExamples
- Leaves may be transverse (with leaves coming off at right angles to the stem), incubous (the apex-facing edge of the leaf overlapping the base of the leaf above it), or succubous (the opex facing edge of the leaf overlapped by base of the leaf above it).
- Leaf overlap in a lateral row of leaves is either succubous (bottom of upper leaf overlaps top of lower leaf) or incubous (top of lower leaf overlap bottom of upper leaf).
Origin
Mid 19th century: from Latin incubare 'lie on' + -ous.