anther

[ an-ther ]

/ ˈæn θər /

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noun Botany.

the pollen-bearing part of a stamen.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of anther

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

OTHER WORDS FROM anther

an·ther·al, adjectivean·ther·less, adjective

Words nearby anther

anthelmintic, anthem, anthema, anthemion, Anthemius of Tralles, anther, antheridiophore, antheridium, antherozoid, anthesis, Anthesteria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anther in a sentence

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
An′theral; Antherif′erous, bearing anthers; Anth′eroid, resembling an anther.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
The portion of a stamen which connects the two cells of the anther.
Michigan Trees|Charles Herbert Otis
But to do this, the curiously projecting and fleshy summits of anther-cases must at some time be pushed back slightly.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin

Remember, pollen-tubes protrude within anther in Neottia nidus-avis.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin

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 forms of anther

antheral, 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

Scientific 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.