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achene

or a·kene

[ ey-keen, uh-keen ]
/ eɪˈkin, əˈkin /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR achene ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Botany.

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

Words related to achene

kernel, stone, caryopsis, utricle

Words nearby achene

acheilary, acheilia, acheiria, acheiropody, achelous, achene, achenese, achernar, acheron, acheson, acheulean

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-uh l, uh-kee-] /eɪˈki ni əl, əˈki-/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for achene

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

Science 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.