dioecious

or di·e·cious

[ dahy-ee-shuhs ]

adjectiveBiology.

(especially of plants) having the male and female organs in separate and distinct individuals; having separate sexes.

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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

Other words from dioecious

di·oe·cious·ly, adverb
di·oe·cious·ness, noun
di·oe·cism [dahy-ee-siz-uhm], /daɪˈi sɪz əm/, noun

Words Nearby dioecious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dioecious in a sentence

Grapes are not to-day considered dioecious but polygamo-dioecious, a distinction which will be defined later.
The Grapes of New York | U. P. Hedrick
Again, in the case of dioecious trees, only the female or pistillate bear fruit.
Michigan Trees | Charles Herbert Otis
If I am right, it is very advisable not to use the term "dioecious," as this at once brings notions of separation of sexes.
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Volume II (of II) | Charles Darwin
The flowers are dioecious, rarely monoecious, provided with one or two perianths.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7 | Various
The flowers have no petals and are polygamous or dioecious (male, female and hermaphrodite flowers occur).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 7 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for dioecious

dioecious

diecious dioicous (daɪˈɔɪkəs)

/ (daɪˈiːʃəs) /

adjective

(of some plants) having the male and female reproductive organs in separate flowers on separate plants: Compare monoecious

Origin of dioecious

C18: from New Latin Dioecia name of class, from di 1 + Greek oikia house, dwelling

Derived forms of dioecious

dioeciously, dieciously or dioicously, adverb
dioeciousness, dieciousness or dioicousness, noun

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

Scientific definitions for dioecious

dioecious

[ dī-ē′shəs ]

Having male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another plant of the same species. The holly and asparagus plants are dioecious. Compare monoecious.

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