Meaning & use
pothos
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Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
A hardy climbing houseplant with glossy, heart-shaped, often yellow-and-green leaves, popular because it tolerates low light and neglect.
Grammar: Often a plant name without an article: pothos grows fast; also a pothos.
Patterns
- a pothos in something
My pothos has grown so long it reaches the floor.
A pothos is one of the easiest plants for beginners.
She hung a pothos near the office window.
Word forms
| plural | pothos |
|---|
Common combinations
- a trailing pothos
- A trailing pothos looks lovely on a high shelf.
- water a pothos
- Water the pothos when the top of the soil is dry.
- pothos cutting
- Put a pothos cutting in a jar of water to grow roots.
- golden pothos
- Golden pothos has yellow marks on its leaves.
- pothos vine
- The pothos vine climbed the bookcase.
Synonyms and how they differ
- devil's ivy
- Devil's ivy is a common name for the same plant and sounds more informal than pothos.
- houseplant
- Houseplant is a broad term for any plant kept indoors, while pothos names one specific kind.
- vine
- Vine describes any climbing or trailing plant, so it is wider than pothos.
Word family
- houseplant noun
- a plant grown indoors
- epipremnum noun
- the scientific genus of the common pothos
- cutting noun
- a piece cut from a plant to grow a new one
Commonly confused: pothos or philodendron? pothos or pathos?
pothos vs philodendron
Philodendron is a similar-looking houseplant, but its leaves are usually thinner and more heart-shaped, while pothos leaves are thicker and often variegated.
pothos vs pathos
Pathos is a quality that evokes pity or sadness, and has nothing to do with plants.
Practice
Which houseplant is known for trailing vines and tolerating low light?
Choose one answer.
Pothos is a trailing vine that tolerates low light. A cactus prefers bright sun, orchids need specific care, and bonsai is a style of miniature tree.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pothos”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.