cryptophyte

[ krip-tuh-fahyt ]

noun

1. Botany. a plant that forms its reproductive structures, as corms or bulbs, underground or underwater.
2. Biology. cryptomonad.

cryptophyte

/ ˌkrɪptəˈfɪtɪk; ˈkrɪptəˌfaɪt /

noun

1. any perennial plant that bears its buds below the soil or water surface

Derived Forms

• cryptophytic, adjective

Other Words From

• cryp·to·phyt·ic [krip-t, uh, -, fit, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cryptophyte¹

First recorded in 1900–05; crypto- + -phyte