Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Covered with fine, soft hairs or down: Describes a surface, particularly of a plant or animal, that has a dense covering of very fine, silky hairs.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The sericeous leaves of the plant felt smooth to the touch.
  • Botanists noted the sericeous texture of the seed pods.

Advanced Usage

• Technical/Botanical & Zoological Context: The term is primarily used in scientific descriptions to precisely characterize the texture of surfaces.
  • The underside of the leaf is distinctly sericeous.
  • The caterpillar had a sericeous appearance.

Variants and Related Words

• Sericeousness (n): The quality or state of being sericeous.
  • The sericeousness of the fabric made it ideal for lining.

Synonyms

• Downy: Covered with fine, soft hair or feathers.
• Pubescent: Covered with short, soft hairs; a common technical synonym in biology.
• Villous: Covered with long, soft, straight hairs (a related, more specific term).

Antonyms

• Glabrous: Smooth; having a surface without hairs or projections.
• Bald: Lacking a natural or usual covering (e.g., of hair).

Notes on Meaning

• The word is highly specialized and is almost exclusively found in formal, technical writing, particularly in botany, zoology, and entomology. It is rarely used in everyday conversation.

Adjective

1. covered with fine soft hairs or down
   • downy milkweed seeds