mesophyll

[ mez-uh-fil, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh- ]

/ ˈmɛz ə fɪl, ˈmɛs-, ˈmi zə-, -sə- /

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noun Botany.

the parenchyma, usually containing chlorophyll, that forms the interior parts of a leaf.

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Origin of mesophyll

First recorded in 1830–40; meso- + -phyll

OTHER WORDS FROM mesophyll

mes·o·phyl·lic, mes·o·phyl·lous, adjective

Words nearby mesophyll

mesopeak, mesopelagic, mesopelagic zone, mesophile, mesophilic, mesophyll, mesophyte, mesoplankton, Mesopotamia, Mesopotamian, mesorectum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mesophyll in a sentence

Leaf perforations are commonly caused by severe hail-storms, the hail-stones beating right through the thin mesophyll.
Disease in Plants|H. Marshall Ward
It is of interest to note the occurrence of precisely similar elements in the mesophyll of Lepidodendron leaves.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7|Various
On many trees of the western part of the range this tissue forms septa across the green mesophyll.
The Genus Pinus|George Russell Shaw
In longitudinal sections, the cells, except of the mesophyll (green tissue) are much elongated.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell

British Dictionary definitions for mesophyll

mesophyll

/ (ˈmɛsəʊˌfɪl) /

noun

the soft chlorophyll-containing tissue of a leaf between the upper and lower layers of epidermis: involved in photosynthesis

Derived forms of mesophyll

mesophyllic or mesophyllous, adjective

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 mesophyll

mesophyll

[ mĕz′ə-fĭl′ ]

The tissues of a leaf that are located in between the layers of epidermis and carry on photosynthesis, consisting of the palisade layer and the spongy parenchyma. Most mesophyll cells contain chloroplasts.