ruderal

[ roo-der-uhl ]

adjective

1. (of a plant) growing in waste places, along roadsides or in rubbish.

noun

1. a ruderal plant.

ruderal

/ ˈruːdərəl /

noun

1. a plant that grows on waste ground

adjective

1. growing in waste places

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruderal¹

1855–60; < New Latin rūderālis, equivalent to Latin rūder- (stem of rūdus broken stone, rubble) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruderal¹

C19: from New Latin rūderālis , from Latin rūdus rubble

Example Sentences

A ruderal bumblebee queen was spotted not far from the Brechfa home of a conservationist who said he "could not believe his eyes".

From BBC

Steyerl describes these sci-fi flora as “ruderal” – a term for plants that colonise disturbed lands, such as the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

From The Guardian

The splintered, the fissile, the ruderal: these are the Ness's textures.

From The Guardian

Engelmann and I have been noting the species truly indigenous here which, becoming ruderal or campestral, are increasing in the number of individuals instead of diminishing as the country becomes more settled and forests removed.

From Project Gutenberg

The ruderal's last UK strongholds are in south Kent and East Sussex, but a population has now been found in Wales.

From BBC