coleoptile

[ koh-lee-op-til, kol-ee- ]

/ ˌkoʊ liˈɒp tɪl, ˌkɒl i- /

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noun Botany.

(in grasses) the first leaf above the ground, forming a sheath around the stem tip.

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Origin of coleoptile

1865–70; <New Latin coleoptilum<Greek koleó(n) sheath, scabbard + ptílon soft feathers, down

Words nearby coleoptile

coleopter, Coleoptera, coleopteran, coleopteron, coleopterous, coleoptile, coleorhiza, Coleraine, Coleridge, Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, Coleridge-Taylor

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

British Dictionary definitions for coleoptile

coleoptile

/ (ˌkɒlɪˈɒptaɪl) /

noun

a protective sheath around the plumule in grasses

Word Origin for coleoptile

C19: from New Latin coleoptilum, from Greek koleon sheath + ptilon down, soft plumage

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 coleoptile

coleoptile

[ kō′lē-ŏp′tĭl, kŏl′ē- ]

A protective sheath enclosing the shoot tip and embryonic leaves of grasses.