embryo sac
noun Botany.
the megaspore of a seed-bearing plant, situated within the ovule, giving rise to the endosperm and forming the egg cell or nucleus from which the embryo plant develops after fertilization.
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Origin of embryo sac
First recorded in 1870–75
Words nearby embryo sac
embrown, embrue, embry-, embryectomy, embryo, embryo sac, embryo transfer, embryo vitrification, embryo-, embryoblast, embryocardia
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Example sentences from the Web for embryo sac
British Dictionary definitions for embryo sac
embryo sac
noun
the structure within a plant ovule that contains the egg cell: develops from the megaspore and contains the embryo plant and endosperm after fertilization
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Scientific definitions for embryo sac
embryo sac
An oval structure within an ovule of an angiosperm that contains the egg. Together with the fertilized egg, it develops into a seed. The embryo sac is the female gametophyte of angiosperms, consisting of eight nuclei: the egg and two adjacent and short-lived synergids that are near the micropyle (the opening where the pollen nuclei will enter), two central nuclei (which will combine with one of the pollen nuclei to form the endosperm), and three antipodal nuclei at the end of the embryo sac opposite the micropyle. Like the synergids, these nuclei degenerate at or shortly after fertilization. See more at gametophyte pollination.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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