archegonium

[ ahr-ki-goh-nee-uhm ]

/ ˌɑr kɪˈgoʊ ni əm /

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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.

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Origin of archegonium

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

OTHER WORDS FROM archegonium

ar·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. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for archegonium

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 forms of archegonium

archegoniate, 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

Scientific definitions for archegonium

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.