archegonium

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

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.

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

Historical Examples of archegonia

They are also positively chemotactic to the watery extract from archegonia.
The Organism as a Whole
Jacques Loeb
By dissecting the young buds, archegonia in all stages of growth may be found.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany
Douglas Houghton Campbell
The archegonia (Fig. 61) should be looked for in the younger plants in the neighborhood of those that bear capsules.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany
Douglas Houghton Campbell
The archegonia have a shorter neck than those of the ferns, and the neck is straight.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany
Douglas Houghton Campbell
The reproductive organs borne by the thallus or plant are called antheridia and archegonia, and serve for sexual reproduction.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3
Various

British Dictionary definitions for archegonia

archegonium

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

archegonia in Science

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.