epigynous

[ ih-pij-uh-nuhs ]

/ ɪˈpɪdʒ ə nəs /

Save This Word!

adjective Botany.

(of flowers) having all floral parts conjoint and generally divergent from the ovary at or near its summit.

(of stamens, petals, etc.) having the parts so arranged.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of epigynous

First recorded in 1820–30; epi- + -gynous

OTHER WORDS FROM epigynous

e·pig·y·ny, noun

Words nearby epigynous

epigrammatic, epigrammatize, epigraph, epigraphic, epigraphy, epigynous, epigynum, epikeratophakia, epilate, epilation, epilator

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use epigynous in a sentence

Epigynous (on the ovary) when so adnate that all these parts appear to arise from the very summit of the ovary, as in Fig. 274.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
These latter were classified according to whether the parts of the flower were hypogenous, perigynous, or epigynous.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, September 1899|Various
Epigynous, borne apparently on the top of the ovary; all which is explained in Fig. 270-274.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
Stylopodium, an epigynous disk, or an enlargement at the base of the style.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

In Umbelliferæ the epigynous condition is changed for the perigynous, &c.
Vegetable Teratology|Maxwell T. Masters

British Dictionary definitions for epigynous

epigynous

/ (ɪˈpɪdʒɪnəs) /

adjective

(of flowers) having the receptacle enclosing and fused with the gynoecium so that the other floral parts arise above it

Derived forms of epigynous

epigyny, noun

Word Origin for epigynous

C19: from epi- + Greek gunē (female organ, pistil) + -ous

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 epigynous

epigynous

[ ĭ-pĭj′ə-nəs ]

Having floral parts (such as the petals and stamens) attached to or near the upper part of the ovary, as in the flower of the apple, cucumber, or daffodil. Compare hypogynous perigynous.