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gymnosperm
[ jim-nuh-spurm ]
/ ˈdʒɪm nəˌspɜrm /
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noun Botany.
a vascular plant having seeds that are not enclosed in an ovary; a conifer or cycad.
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Origin of gymnosperm
OTHER WORDS FROM gymnosperm
gym·no·sperm·ism, nounWords nearby gymnosperm
gymnodinium, gymnogynous, gymnoplast, gymnorhinal, gymnosophist, gymnosperm, gymnospermous, gymnospore, gympie, gym shoe, gymslip
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gymnosperm in a sentence
With more food available, angiosperms readily outcompeted the gymnosperms, swiftly growing skyward and blocking out the sunlight.
The dinosaur-killing asteroid impact radically altered Earth’s tropical forests|Carolyn Gramling|April 1, 2021|Science News
British Dictionary definitions for gymnosperm
gymnosperm
/ (ˈdʒɪmnəʊˌspɜːm, ˈɡɪm-) /
noun
any seed-bearing plant in which the ovules are borne naked on the surface of the megasporophylls, which are often arranged in cones. Gymnosperms, which include conifers and cycads, are traditionally classified in the division Gymnospermae but in modern classifications are split into separate phylaCompare angiosperm
Derived forms of gymnosperm
gymnospermous, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for gymnosperm
gymnosperm
[ jĭm′nə-spûrm′ ]
Any of a group of seed-bearing plants whose ovules are not enclosed in an ovary, but are exposed on the surface of sporophylls or similar structures. Each ovule may contain several eggs, all of which may be fertilized and start to develop in a process known as polyembryony. In most seeds, however, only a single embryo survives. The reproductive structures of many gymnosperms are arranged in cones. The gymnosperms do not form a distinct monophyletic grouping, but simply include all the seed-bearing plants that are not angiosperms. In addition to several extinct groups, there are four very diverse living gymnosperm phyla: the conifers, the cycads, the ginkgo (surviving in a single species), and the gnetophytes. Compare angiosperm. See more at seed-bearing plant.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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