dehisce

American  

[dih-his] / dɪˈhɪs /

verb (used without object)

dehisced, dehiscing

1. to burst open, as capsules of plants; gape.

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dehisce British  

/ dɪˈhɪs /

verb

1. (intr) (of fruits, anthers, etc) to burst open spontaneously, releasing seeds, pollen, etc

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Etymology

Origin of dehisce

1650–60; < Latin dēhiscere to gape, part, equivalent to dē- de- + hiscere to gape, yawn ( hi ( āre ) to yawn + -scere inchoative suffix)

Example Sentences

The ova and the spermatozoa dehisce into the body cavity and pass to the exterior through the nephridia.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3 "Borgia, Lucrezia" to "Bradford, John" by Various

When mature they dehisce by a small opening, and when broken open will disclose the olive or greenish-yellow capillitium.

From The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Its Habitat and its Time of Growth by Hard, Miron Elisha

Occasionally, follicles dehisce by the dorsal suture, as in Magnolia grandiflora and Banksia.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

They dehisce properly, but do not appear to contain much pollen.

From The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species by Darwin, Charles

From these masses of ova dehisce into the body cavity and float in its fluid.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg