cryptophyte

[krip-tuh-fahyt]

noun

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

Biology. cryptomonad.

Origin of cryptophyte

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

Related formscryp·to·phyt·ic

[krip-tuh-fit-ik] /ˌkrɪp təˈfɪt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cryptophyte

cryptophyte

noun

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

Derived Formscryptophytic (ˌkrɪptəˈfɪtɪk), adjective

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