anther

[ an-ther ]

/ ˈæn θər /

noun Botany.

the pollen-bearing part of a stamen.

Nearby words

Origin of anther

1545–55; < New Latin anthēra < Latin < Greek, feminine of anthērós flowery; see anthesis

Related formsan·ther·al, adjectivean·ther·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for anther

I suppose you were afraid I was going to give you anther whistle.
Coniston, Complete|Winston Churchill
This measure had a anther reaching effect than merely giving the Union armies an increased supply of men.
The Papers And Writings Of Abraham Lincoln, Volume One|Abraham Lincoln
Anther, an′thėr, n. the top of the stamen in a flower which contains the pollen or fertilising dust.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
Pol' lin na tion, the transfer of pollen from the anther of a flower to the stigma.
A Guide for the Study of Animals|Worrallo Whitney

Sometimes the stamen has no filament, and the anther is then said to be sessile.
Field and Woodland Plants|William S. Furneaux

British Dictionary definitions for anther

anther

/ (ˈænθə) /

noun

the terminal part of a stamen consisting usually of two lobes each containing two sacs in which the pollen matures

Derived Formsantheral, adjective

Word Origin for anther

C18: from New Latin anthēra, from Latin: a remedy prepared from flowers, from Greek, from anthēros flowery, from anthos flower

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

Word Origin and History for anther

anther

1550s, "medical extract of flowers," from French anthère, from Modern Latin anthera "a medicine extracted from a flower," from Greek anthera, fem. of antheros "flowery, blooming," from anthos "flower," from PIE root *andh- "to bloom" (cf. Sanskrit andhas "herb," Armenian and "field," Middle Irish ainder "young girl," Welsh anner "young cow"). Main modern sense attested by 1791.

Science definitions for anther

anther

[ ăn′thər ]

The pollen-bearing part at the upper end of the stamen of a flower. Most anthers occur at the tip of a slender, stemlike filament and have two lobes. Each lobe contains two pollen sacs. When pollen matures in the pollen sacs, the lobes of the anthers burst open in the process known as dehiscence to release the pollen. See more at flower.