This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
cotyledon
[ kot-l-eed-n ]
/ ˌkɒt lˈid n /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun Botany.
the primary or rudimentary leaf of the embryo of seed plants.
Anatomy. any of several lobules of the placenta.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of cotyledon
1535–45; <Latin: navelwort <Greek kotylēdṓn a plant (probably navelwort), literally, a cuplike hollow, derivative of kotýlē cup
OTHER WORDS FROM cotyledon
Words nearby cotyledon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cotyledon in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for cotyledon
cotyledon
/ (ˌkɒtɪˈliːdən) /
noun
a simple embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, which, in some species, forms the first green leaf after germination
a tuft of villi on the mammalian placenta
Derived forms of cotyledon
cotyledonous or cotyledonoid, adjectivecotyledonal, adjectivecotyledonary, adjectiveWord Origin for cotyledon
C16: from Latin: a plant, navelwort, from Greek kotulēdōn, from kotulē cup, hollow
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 cotyledon
cotyledon
[ kŏt′l-ēd′n ]
A leaf of the embryo of a seed-bearing plant. Most cotyledons emerge, enlarge, and become green after the seed has germinated. Cotyledons either store food for the growing embryo (as in monocotyledons) or absorb food that has been stored in the endosperm (as in other angiosperms) for eventual distribution to the growing parts of the embryo. Also called seed leaf See more at eudicotyledon monocotyledon.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.