noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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strō-bī′ləs
Received-Pronunciation:/stɹəʊ̯ˈbaɪ̯.ləs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American:/stɹoʊ̯ˈbaɪ̯.ləs/
Canada:/stɹoʊ̯ˈbʌɪ̯.ləs/
Australian:/stɹəʉ̯ˈbɑe̯.ləs/
New-Zealand:/stɹɐʉ̯ˈbaɪ̯.ləs/
Scotland:/stɹoˈbaɪ̯.ləs/
Scotland:/stɹoˈbʌi̯.ləs/
Scotland:/stɹoˈbəi̯.ləs/
India:/sʈɾoːˈbaj.lus/
rhymes with -aɪləs
1
noun
Meaning 1
A cone-shaped fruiting body sensu stricto of gymnosperms and vascular plants other than angiosperms, bearing either seeds or spores, but sensu lato may refer to similarly structured catkins and cones in angiosperms; usage arbitrary according to preferences of various authorities.
Sensu strictissimo a more-or-less cone-shaped fruiting body of any of various vascular Pteridophyta, such as horsetail, that bear spores;
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: strobile, cone
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A cone-shaped fruiting body sensu stricto of gymnosperms and vascular plants other than angiosperms, bearing either seeds or spores, but sensu lato may refer to similarly structured catkins and cones in angiosperms; usage arbitrary according to preferences of various authorities.
Sensu stricto according to source and context, a more-or-less cone-shaped fruiting body; a structure that might or might not be seen as an infructescence, usually woody, of gymnosperms such as pines and cycads, that bear seeds — usage has varied arbitrarily among authors since the 19th century.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: strobile, cone
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A cone-shaped fruiting body sensu stricto of gymnosperms and vascular plants other than angiosperms, bearing either seeds or spores, but sensu lato may refer to similarly structured catkins and cones in angiosperms; usage arbitrary according to preferences of various authorities.
Sensu lato according to source and context, A more-or-less cone-shaped fruiting body; a structure that might or might not be seen as an infructescence of either Pteridophyta, gymnosperms, or angiosperms; examples include the cones of Casuarina, or catkin-like strobili of Alnus
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: strobile, cone
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A layered reproductive stage in jellyfish, in which the swimming medusa form is produced.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: strobile
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
cone-shaped mass of ovule- or spore-bearing scales or bracts
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cone, strobile
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: reproductive structure
Narrower terms: fir cone, galbulus, pinecone
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin strobīlus (“pine cone”), borrowed from Ancient Greek στρόβῑλος (stróbīlos, “twisted object, pine cone”), from στρόβος (stróbos, “whirl”). According to Liddell and Scott, 8th ed. 1882: of various meanings such as a pine-cone, something screwed up into a lump like a pine-cone, a pine tree and more.
Across languages
Translations
13 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Catalan:
estròbil
— botany: cone
Dutch:
kegelvrucht
— botany: cone
Esperanto:
strobilo
— botany: cone
Esperanto:
strobiloj
— botany: cone
Finnish:
käpy
— botany: cone
French:
strobile
— botany: cone
Hebrew:
אִצְטְרוֹבָּל
(itztrobál)
— botany: cone
Korean:
구과
(gugwa)
— botany: cone
Polish:
kłos zarodnionośny
— botany: cone
Romanian:
strobil
— botany: cone
Spanish:
estróbilo
— botany: cone
Finnish:
strobila
— zoology: a layered reproductive stage in jellyfish
Polish:
strobilus
— zoology: a layered reproductive stage in jellyfish
