dehiscence

[ dih-his-uhns ]

/ dɪˈhɪs əns /

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noun

Biology. the release of materials by the splitting open of an organ or tissue.

Botany. the natural bursting open of capsules, fruits, anthers, etc., for the discharge of their contents.

Surgery. the bursting open of a surgically closed wound.

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Origin of dehiscence

1820–30; <New Latin dēhiscentia, equivalent to Latin dēhiscent- stem of dēhiscēns, present participle of dēhiscere (see dehisce) + -ia;see -ence

OTHER WORDS FROM dehiscence

de·his·cent, adjectivenon·de·his·cent, adjective

Words nearby dehiscence

de Haas, de haut en bas, de Havilland, dehire, dehisce, dehiscence, dehiscent, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, dehooker, dehorn, dehort

How to use dehiscence in a sentence

Nothing similar appears in the gray specimens of the present form, although the dehiscence is quite as certainly circumscissile.
The North American Slime-Moulds|Thomas H. (Thomas Huston) MacBride
Trees with furrowed bark; pulp surrounding nut continuous, without lines of dehiscence on the surface.
Trees of Indiana|Charles Clemon Deam
Fruit a large, bony, edible nut surrounded by a husk that has no regular dehiscence.
Trees of the Northern United States|Austin C. Apgar
Regular Dehiscence in a capsule takes place in two ways, which are best illustrated in pods of two or three cells.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

When the anther-lobes are erect, the cleft is lengthwise along the line of the suture—longitudinal dehiscence (fig. 25).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5|Various

Scientific definitions for dehiscence

dehiscence

[ dĭ-hĭs′əns ]

The spontaneous opening at maturity of a plant structure, such as a fruit, anther, or sporangium, to release its contents. Compare indehiscence.

Other words from dehiscence

dehisce verb