hypocotyl

American  

[hahy-puh-kot-l] / ˌhaɪ pəˈkɒt l /

noun

Botany.

1. the part of a plant embryo directly below the cotyledons, forming a connection with the radicle.

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hypocotyl British  

/ ˌhaɪpəˈkɒtɪl /

noun

1. the part of an embryo plant between the cotyledons and the radicle

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hypocotyl Scientific  

/ hī′pə-kŏt′l /

1. The part of a plant embryo or seedling that lies between the radicle and the cotyledons. Upon germination, the hypocotyl pushes the cotyledons above the ground to develop. It eventually becomes part of the plant stem. Most seed-bearing plants have hypocotyls, but the grasses have different, specialized structures.

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Other Word Forms

• hypocotylous
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of hypocotyl

First recorded in 1875–80; hypo- + cotyl(edon)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hypocotyl

Botanists have discovered that money is not only the root of all evil, but also its hypocotyl, petiole and axillary bud.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2022

The round pointed projection was formerly called the radicle, but is now spoken of as the hypocotyl, because it grows below or under the cotyledons.

From The First Book of Farming by Charles Landon Goodrich

The four corners at the center of the cut top then are turned slightly upward, to allow a small opening through which the hypocotyl of the developing seedling can emerge.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Report Wooster, Ohio, September 3, 4, 5, 1946 by Northern Nut Growers Association

After they have protruded from the seed, they are united at their lower ends with the undeveloped hypocotyl and undeveloped radicle, which together form a point only about .1 inch in length.

From The Power of Movement in Plants by Charles Darwin

This is the case with Cucurbita ovifera: nevertheless, in whatever position the seeds were buried, the hypocotyl always came up arched in one particular direction.

From The Power of Movement in Plants by Charles Darwin

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