A primitive seed plant with a thick, unbranched trunk crowned by large, pinnately compound leaves, resembling palms but actually related to conifers. Cycads are gymnosperms that reproduce through large cones and are often called living fossils.
From Greek 'kykas', a name used by ancient Greek botanist Theophrastus for a palm-like plant, later applied to these similar-looking plants. The term was adopted in modern taxonomy when the distinction between cycads and palms became clear.
Try Another Word