caryopsis

[ kar-ee-op-sis ]

/ ˌkær iˈɒp sɪs /

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See synonyms for caryopsis on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural car·y·op·ses

[kar-ee-op-seez] /ˌkær iˈɒp siz/ car·y·op·si·des

[kar-ee-op-si-deez]. /ˌkær iˈɒp sɪˌdiz/. Botany.

a small, one-celled, one-seeded, dry indehiscent fruit with the pericarp adherent to the seed coat, the typical fruit of grasses and grains.

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Origin of caryopsis

First recorded in 1820–30; cary(o)- + -opsis

Words nearby caryopsis

caryatid, Caryl, Caryn, caryo-, caryophyllaceous, caryopsis, C.A.S., casa, casaba, Casabianca, Casablanca

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

How to use caryopsis in a sentence

As an illustration of the caryopsis, the grain of Andropogon Sorghum may be studied.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses|Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
Caryopsis grooved, blunt and more tightly held in the palea.
Grasses|H. Marshall Ward
Caryopsis 7-8 mm., less flattened than in Bromus, with a shallow groove.
Grasses|H. Marshall Ward
The caryopsis is shorter and more ovoid than in other Bromes.
Grasses|H. Marshall Ward

In Lolium and Agropyrum the caryopsis is still more wheat-like and grooved.
Grasses|H. Marshall Ward

British Dictionary definitions for caryopsis

caryopsis

/ (ˌkærɪˈɒpsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-siːz) or -sides (-sɪˌdiːz)

a dry seedlike fruit having the pericarp fused to the seed coat of the single seed: produced by the grasses

Word Origin for caryopsis

C19: New Latin; see karyo-, -opsis

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