angiosperm
Americannoun
noun
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Any of a large group of plants that produce flowers. They develop seeds from ovules contained in ovaries, and the seeds are enclosed by fruits which develop from carpels. They are also distinguished by the process of double fertilization. The majority of angiosperms belong to two large classes: monocotyledons and eudicotyledons. The angiosperms are the largest phylum of living plants, existing in some 235,000 species. They range from small floating plants only one millimeter (0.04 inch) in length to towering trees that are over 100 meters (328 ft) tall.
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Compare gymnosperm
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of angiosperm
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Vocabulary lists containing angiosperm
Plants (Botany) - Introduction
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Plants (Botany) - Middle School
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Plants (Botany) - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Angiosperms, or flowering plants, grew back faster and denser than the previously ubiquitous conifer relatives had been.
From Slate • Oct. 21, 2024
Angiosperms, commonly referred to as flowering plants, have male and female reproductive organs.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2024
Angiosperms evolved from gymnosperms, but how carpels and the second seed coat arose has been a big mystery.
From Science Magazine • May 26, 2021
Angiosperms produce flowers, which contain ovaries that surround and protect the seeds.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018
The term is applied in contradistinction to Angiosperms, which see.
From Principles of Geology or, The Modern Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as Illustrative of Geology by Lyell, Charles, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
