This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
megagametophyte
[ meg-uh-guh-mee-tuh-fahyt ]
/ ˌmɛg ə gəˈmi təˌfaɪt /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun Botany.
the female gametophyte in seed plants.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of megagametophyte
First recorded in 1930–35; mega- + gametophyte
OTHER WORDS FROM megagametophyte
meg·a·ga·me·to·phyt·ic [meg-uh-guh-mee-tuh-fit-ik, -gam-i-], /ˌmɛg ə gəˌmi təˈfɪt ɪk, -ˌgæm ɪ-/, adjectiveWords nearby megagametophyte
Megaera, megafauna, megaflop, megaflops, megagamete, megagametophyte, megahertz, megahit, megajoule, megakaryoblast, megakaryocyte
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Scientific definitions for megagametophyte
megagametophyte
[ mĕg′ə-gə-mē′tə-fīt′ ]
The female gametophyte that develops from the megaspores of heterosporous plants. Among heterosporous species of the lycophyte plants, for example, the sporophyte plant produces megaspores stocked with food. These spores grow into megagametophytes that produce eggs. After fertilization of the eggs, the embryos grow into new sporophytes inside the megagametophyte and are nourished by the food within it. In the seed plants, the megagametophyte generation is very small and lives its entire existence within the ovules of the sporophyte plant, where some of its cells become eggs, while others become food reserves for the resultant embryos. See more at alternation of generations gametophyte.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.