zamia
/ˈzeɪmɪə
/(Australian also zamia palm)
noun
An American or Australian cycad, some kinds of which produce roots or seeds that are edible after careful preparation.
- Genera Zamia (of America) and Macrozamia (of Australia), family Zamiaceae.
- Its name, incidentally, comes from the hardy and resilient zamia palm found in central Queensland.
- A kind of damper is made from the seeds or nuts from the female plants of cycads and zamia palms.
Origin
Early 19th century: modern Latin, from zamiae, misreading (in Pliny) of azaniae 'pine cones'.