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akene

[ey-keen, uh-keen]
noun
  1. achene.
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achene

or a·kene

[ey-keen, uh-keen]
noun Botany.
  1. 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
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

Examples from the Web for akene

Historical Examples

  • The fruit of Composit (though not of a single carpel) is also an akene.

    The Elements of Botany

    Asa Gray

  • Akene of Virgin's-bower, retaining the feathered style, which aids in dissemination.

  • It is what the botanists call an akene, which simply means just one seed with a tight envelope about it.

British Dictionary definitions for akene

akene

noun
  1. a variant spelling of achene
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achene

akene

noun
  1. 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
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Derived Formsachenial or akenial, adjective

Word Origin

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
akene in Science

achene

  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.