cryptogam
[ krip-tuh-gam ]
/ ˈkrɪp təˌgæm /
|
noun Botany.
any of the Cryptogamia, a former primary division of plants that have no true flowers or seeds and that reproduce by spores, as the ferns, mosses, fungi, and algae.
Nearby words
Related forms
cryp·to·gam·ic, cryp·tog·a·mous [krip-tog-uh-muh s] /krɪpˈtɒg ə məs/, cryp·to·gam·i·cal, adjectivecryp·tog·a·mist, nouncryp·tog·a·my, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for cryptogam
They mock at wounds who never confronted a foe more tangible than a Baconian cryptogam.
The Army Mule and Other War Sketches|Henry A. CastleThe insect which seeks it does not come from a distance; it inhabits the places wherein the cryptogam is found.
Social Life in the Insect World|J. H. FabreThis irritation induces abnormal proliferation of epithelium, upon which the spores of the cryptogam then germinate.
The papilla continues to elongate and the cryptogam to increase, until finally it invades nearly the entire length of the papilla.
British Dictionary definitions for cryptogam
cryptogam
/ (ˈkrɪptəʊˌɡæm) /
noun
(in former plant classification schemes) any organism that does not produce seeds, including algae, fungi, mosses, and fernsCompare phanerogam
Derived Forms
cryptogamic or cryptogamous (krɪpˈtɒɡəməs), adjectiveWord Origin for cryptogam
C19: from New Latin Cryptogamia, from crypto- + Greek gamos marriage
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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