midrib

midrib — noun

1. the thick line running down the middle of a leaf from the stem to the tip, which

1.nounC2
Definition

the thick line running down the middle of a leaf from the stem to the tip, which carries water and food and gives the leaf its main shape.

Example

Esme traced the midrib of the banana leaf with her finger.

the midrib of + [leaf type]

The biology teacher showed the children how the midrib splits a leaf into two halves.

subject-verb pattern showing function

Common collocations
  • the midrib of a leaf
  • thick midrib
  • snap along the midrib
  • trace the midrib
Synonyms
  • midvein

    exact technical synonym, common in botany textbooks

  • central vein

    everyday phrasing for the same structure

  • main vein

    looser term; sometimes used for any large vein, not only the central one

Grammar Patterns

the midrib of [leaf]

Usage Note

Almost always used in botany classes or plant guides. The plural 'midribs' appears when comparing several leaves.

Common Mistakes

The midrib of the tree is brown.
The midrib of the leaf is brown.
a midrib belongs to a leaf, not a whole tree or plant.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three terms point to the same structure — the main vein running down the centre of a leaf — but they sit in slightly different registers. 'Midrib' is the standard term in botany textbooks and plant identification keys; learners reading a biology paper will see this word. 'Midvein' is the closest technical synonym and is often used interchangeably, especially when authors want to keep wording parallel with 'side vein' or 'cross vein'. 'Central vein' is the plain-English version: a teacher might use it with younger students who don't yet know the botanical word. So Sirin pressing a fern in class would 'label the midrib', while her primary-school cousin would simply 'point to the central vein'.

midrib ↗midveincentral vein

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the midrib of a leaf
  • along the midrib
  • thick midrib

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in English in the early 1800s from 'mid-' (middle) and 'rib', borrowing the idea of a rib as a long supporting strip. Botanists chose the word because the central vein supports a leaf in the same way ribs support a body.