hypocotyl

American  

[hahy-puh-kot-l] / ˌhaɪ pəˈkɒt l /

noun

Botany.

1. the part of a plant embryo directly below the cotyledons, forming a connection with the radicle.

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hypocotyl British  

/ ˌhaɪpəˈkɒtɪl /

noun

1. the part of an embryo plant between the cotyledons and the radicle

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hypocotyl Scientific  

/ hī′pə-kŏt′l /

1. The part of a plant embryo or seedling that lies between the radicle and the cotyledons. Upon germination, the hypocotyl pushes the cotyledons above the ground to develop. It eventually becomes part of the plant stem. Most seed-bearing plants have hypocotyls, but the grasses have different, specialized structures.

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Other Word Forms

• hypocotylous
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of hypocotyl

First recorded in 1875–80; hypo- + cotyl(edon)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hypocotyl

Botanists have discovered that money is not only the root of all evil, but also its hypocotyl, petiole and axillary bud.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2022

That an arched hypocotyl or epicotyl, with the two legs fixed in the ground, should be able to circumnutate, seemed to us, until we had read Prof. Wiesner's observations, an inexplicable fact.

From The Power of Movement in Plants by Charles Darwin

Brassica oleracea: conjoint circumnutation of the hypocotyl and cotyledons, from 10.50 A.M. to 8 A.M. on the following morning.

From The Power of Movement in Plants by Charles Darwin

Nevertheless there could be no doubt about the circumnutation of the hypocotyl, which described in 12 h. a figure representing three irregular ellipses of unequal sizes.

From The Power of Movement in Plants by Charles Darwin

The hypocotyl is slightly sensitive, so that if rubbed with a needle it bends towards the rubbed side.

From The Power of Movement in Plants by Charles Darwin

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