gymnosperm

American  

[jim-nuh-spurm] / ˈdʒɪm nəˌspɜrm /

noun

Botany.

1. a vascular plant having seeds that are not enclosed in an ovary; a conifer or cycad.

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gymnosperm British  

/ ˈdʒɪmnəʊˌspɜːm, ˈɡɪm- /

noun

1. 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 phyla Compare angiosperm

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gymnosperm Scientific  

/ jĭm′nə-spûrm′ /

1. 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.

2. Compare angiosperm See more at seed-bearing plant

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Other Word Forms

• gymnospermism noun
• gymnospermous adjective

Etymology

Origin of gymnosperm

First recorded in 1820–30, gymnosperm is from the New Latin word gymnospermae name of type. See gymno-, -sperm

Compare meaning

How does gymnosperm compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• angiosperm vs. gymnosperm

Example Sentences

For example, the unusual gymnosperm Welwitschia mirabilis is the only extant species of an entire order of plants.

From Textbooks • Sep. 6, 2018

Crisscrossing the valley over the past 2 decades, Verma has rescued dozens of fossilized dinosaur nests and hundreds of eggs, along with thousands of other specimens, including rare extinct sharks and a fossilized gymnosperm forest.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 4, 2018

The life cycle of a gymnosperm involves alternation of generations, with a dominant sporophyte in which the female gametophyte resides, and reduced gametophytes.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

No gymnosperm seed has an ovary: Their fertilized ovules are “naked,” covered only in a single, thin protective layer.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2014

Phanerogamic plants in their lowest groups of gymnosperm exogens then begin to appear in the Devonian conifers, gradually followed by cycads.

From Creation and Its Records by Baden-Powell, Baden Henry