achene

or a·kene

[ ey-keen, uh-keen ]

/ eɪˈkin, əˈkin /

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See synonyms for achene on Thesaurus.com

noun Botany.

any small, dry, hard, one-seeded, indehiscent fruit.

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Origin of achene

1835–45; <New Latin achaenium, equivalent to a-a-⁶ + Greek chain- (stem of chaínein to gape) + Latin -ium-ium

OTHER WORDS FROM achene

a·che·ni·al

[ey-kee-nee-uhl, uh-kee-], /eɪˈki ni əl, əˈki-/, adjective

Words nearby achene

Achates, ache, Achebe, Achebe, Chinua, Achelous, achene, Achernar, Acheron, Acheson, Acheulean, Acheulian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use achene in a sentence

Fruit a circumscissile 2-celled capsule, with one or more peltate seeds in each cell, or an achene.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
Ovary 1-celled with a suspended ovule, becoming an achene; calyx none; aquatic herbs, with finely dissected whorled leaves.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
Achene (commonly solitary) enclosed in the 4-angled dry and thickish closed calyx-tube.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
Ovary with a single cell and ovule, tipped with a long laterally stigmatic style, maturing as an achene.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray

Achene obtusely triangular, partly 3-celled, enclosed in the indurated calyx.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for achene

achene

akene

/ (əˈkiːn) /

noun

a dry one-seeded indehiscent fruit with the seed distinct from the fruit wall. It may be smooth, as in the buttercup, or feathery, as in clematis

Derived forms of achene

achenial or akenial, adjective

Word Origin for achene

C19: from New Latin achaenium that which does not yawn or open, from a- 1 + Greek khainein to yawn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for achene

achene

A small, dry, one-seeded fruit in which the seed sits free inside the hollow fruit, attached only by the stem of the ovule. Achenes are indehiscent (they do not split open when ripe). The fruits of the sunflower and elm are achenes.

achene

or a·kene

Origin of achene

OTHER WORDS FROM achene

Words nearby achene

Words related to achene

How to use achene in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for achene

akene

Derived forms of achene

Word Origin for achene

Scientific definitions for achene