calamus
calamus — noun
1. A tall plant that grows in shallow water and wet ground, with long sword-shaped
A tall plant that grows in shallow water and wet ground, with long sword-shaped leaves and roots that give off a strong spicy smell.
Keiko planted calamus along the edge of her small garden pond.
collocation: calamus + pond
The calamus growing by the drainage ditch gave off a spicy scent.
Oluwaseun recognised the tall calamus leaves swaying above the marsh grasses.
A thick patch of calamus had spread across the shallow end of the lake.
Local foragers gathered calamus roots from the riverbank every autumn.
- sweet flag
the common English name for the same plant; less formal than calamus
- Acorus calamus
scientific Latin name used in botanical writing
2. The peeled and dried underground stem of sweet flag, once valued as a flavouring
The peeled and dried underground stem of sweet flag, once valued as a flavouring for food and drink and still used in some traditional herbal remedies.
Dimitri's grandmother kept dried calamus in a jar for stomach complaints.
collocation: dried calamus
The old apothecary sold calamus as a remedy for digestive troubles.
collocation: sold calamus as a remedy
Nalini added a tiny piece of calamus to the herbal tea mixture.
Before modern drugs, people chewed calamus to ease toothache and indigestion.
Farid found a recipe that used calamus among medieval cooking manuscripts.
- sweet flag root
a descriptive alternative; less technical than calamus
3. The stiff, hollow tube at the base of a feather, lying beneath the soft, flat pa
The stiff, hollow tube at the base of a feather, lying beneath the soft, flat part where the barbs spread out.
Svetlana examined the calamus under a magnifying glass during biology class.
The calamus of an eagle feather is surprisingly strong for its size.
collocation: calamus of a feather
Javier trimmed the broken calamus before threading it onto the fishing line.
Each feather's calamus anchors firmly into the bird's skin.
Amara split the calamus lengthwise to see the hollow channel inside.
- quill
broader term; can mean the whole feather shaft, a feather pen, or specifically the hollow base
- feather base
plain-English equivalent used outside scientific contexts
用法筆記
A technical term used in ornithology. In everyday speech, most people say 'the base of the feather' or simply 'quill' — though 'quill' can also mean the entire central shaft or a writing instrument made from a feather.