dioecious
Americanadjective
adjective
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Having male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another plant of the same species. The holly and asparagus plants are dioecious.
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Compare monoecious
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dioecious
1740–50; < New Latin Dioeci ( a ) a class name ( di- di- 1 + Greek oikía a house, dwelling, spelling variant of oîkos ) + -ous
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In fact, Nepenthes is the only dioecious carnivorous plant.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2023
If you want berries, remember that hollies are dioecious, meaning they come in male and female, and only the female bears fruit.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 10, 2022
Even dioecious trees can be cultivated to lack “female” qualities, like dropping messy seeds and inedible fruit.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2021
Willows are dioecious; that is, male trees produce only male flowers, and female trees produce only female flowers.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2018
The former plants are termed self-incompatible hermaphrodites; the latter, dioecious species.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
