cryptogam
[ krip-tuh-gam ]
/ ˈkrɪp təˌgæm /
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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.
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OTHER WORDS FROM cryptogam
cryp·to·gam·ic, cryp·tog·a·mous [krip-tog-uh-muhs], /krɪpˈtɒg ə məs/, cryp·to·gam·i·cal, adjectivecryp·tog·a·mist, nouncryp·tog·a·my, nounWords nearby cryptogam
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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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 of cryptogam
cryptogamic or cryptogamous (krɪpˈtɒɡəməs), adjectiveWord Origin for cryptogam
C19: from New Latin Cryptogamia, from crypto- + Greek gamos marriage
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