apocarpous

[ ap-uh-kahr-puhs ]

/ ˌæp əˈkɑr pəs /

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adjective Botany.

having the carpels separate.

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Origin of apocarpous

First recorded in 1820–30; apo- + -carpous

OTHER WORDS FROM apocarpous

ap·o·car·py, noun

Words nearby apocarpous

apocalypse, apocalyptic, apocalypticism, apocalyptist, apocarp, apocarpous, apocatastasis, apocenter, apochromat, apochromatic, apocopate

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

How to use apocarpous in a sentence

The pistil is apocarpous, consisting of several distinct carpels, each with ovary, style and stigma.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5|Various
Apocarpous (pistils), when the several pistils of the same flower are separate.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for apocarpous

apocarpous

/ (ˌæpəˈkɑːpəs) /

adjective

(of the ovaries of flowering plants such as the buttercup) consisting of separate carpelsCompare syncarpous

Word Origin for apocarpous

C19 from NL, from Gk apo- + karpos fruit

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