archegonium

[ ahr-ki-goh-nee-uh m ]

/ ˌɑr kɪˈgoʊ ni əm /

noun, plural ar·che·go·ni·a [ahr-ki-goh-nee-uh] /ˌɑr kɪˈgoʊ ni ə/. Botany.

the female reproductive organ in ferns, mosses, etc.

Nearby words

Origin of archegonium

1850–55; < New Latin, equivalent to archegon- (< Greek archégonos first of a race; see arche-, gono-) + -ium < Greek -ion diminutive suffix

Related formsar·che·go·ni·al, ar·che·go·ni·ate

[ahr-ki-goh-nee-it, -eyt] /ˌɑr kɪˈgoʊ ni ɪt, -ˌeɪt/, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for archegonia

The archegonia are borne at the apex of the main stem or of a lateral branch.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
The sexual organs are borne on the upper surface, and both antheridia and archegonia occur on the same branch (fig. 3, A).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
The same moisture which caused the antheridia to open also brings about the opening of the archegonia.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Plants with cellular tissue only; both antheridia and archegonia borne upon the plant itself.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray

In addition special involucres around the archegonia have arisen independently in several series.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for archegonia

archegonium

/ (ˌɑːkɪˈɡəʊnɪəm) /

noun plural -nia (-nɪə)

a female sex organ, occurring in mosses, spore-bearing vascular plants, and gymnosperms, that produces a single egg cell in its swollen base

Derived Formsarchegoniate, adjective

Word Origin for archegonium

C19: from New Latin, from Greek arkhegonos original parent, from arkhe- chief, first + gonos seed, race

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

Science definitions for archegonia

archegonium

[ är′kĭ-gō′nē-əm ]

Plural archegonia

The egg-producing organ occurring in bryophytes (such as mosses and liverworts), ferns, and most gymnosperms. The archegonium is a multicellular, often flask-shaped structure that contains a single egg. Compare antheridium.