anther

[an-ther]

noun Botany.

the pollen-bearing part of a stamen.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for anther

Historical Examples of anther

Its body must be sufficiently large to come in contact with the anther.
My Studio Neighbors
William Hamilton Gibson
They consist usually of two parts, the Filament and Anther, not yet described.
Proserpina, Volume 1
John Ruskin
The ovule is a part of every ovary just as the pollen is a part of every anther.
The Renewal of Life; How and When to Tell the Story to the Young
Margaret Warner Morley
I suppose you were afraid I was going to give you anther whistle.
Coniston, Complete
Winston Churchill
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

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

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.

anther in Science

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.