apocarpous

American

[ap-uh-kahr-puhs] / ˌæp əˈkɑr pəs /

adjective

Botany.

having the carpels separate.

apocarpous British

/ ˌæpəˈkɑːpəs /

adjective

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

"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

Other Word Forms

apocarpy noun

Etymology

Origin of apocarpous

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In this case a syncarpous fruit has a tendency to become apocarpous.

From Project Gutenberg

The pistil is apocarpous, consisting of several distinct carpels, each with ovary, style and stigma.

From Project Gutenberg

It is useful to be able to classify a flower and to know that the buttercup belongs to the Family Ranunculaceae, with petals free and definite, stamens hypogynous and indefinite, pistil apocarpous.

From Project Gutenberg

In the former case they are either apocarpous, of one mature carpel or of several separate free carpels; or syncarpous, of several carpels, more or less completely united.

From Project Gutenberg

When the pistil consists of several separate carpels, or is apocarpous, there are generally separate placentas at each of their margins.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023