achene

or a·kene

[ey-keen, uh-keen]

See more synonyms for achene on Thesaurus.com

noun Botany.

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

Origin of achene

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

Related formsa·che·ni·al

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for achene

kernel, stone, achene, caryopsis, utricle

Examples from the Web for achene

Historical Examples of achene

Name from , a bug, and , resemblance; from the form of the achene.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States
Asa Gray
Calyx 6-parted or -cleft, colored, persistent about the achene.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States
Asa Gray
Fruit usually an achene, compressed or 3–4-angled or -winged.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States
Asa Gray
Compared with U. dioica, this achene is thinner and shorter.
Seeds of Michigan Weeds
W. J. (William James) Beal
Achene triangular, pointed with the persistent base of the style.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States
Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for achene

achene

akene

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 Formsachenial 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

achene in Science

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.