microspore

[mahy-kruh-spawr, ‐spohr]

noun Botany.

the smaller of the two kinds of spores characteristically produced by seed plants and some fern allies, developing into a male gametophyte.Compare megaspore,

a pollen grain.

Origin of microspore

First recorded in 1855–60; micro- + -spore

Related formsmi·cro·spor·ic

[mahy-kruh-spawr-ik, ‐spor‐] /ˌmaɪ krəˈspɔr ɪk, ‐ˈspɒr‐/, mi·cro·spor·ous

[mahy-kruh-spawr-uh s, ‐spohr‐, mahy-kros-per-uh s] /maɪ krəˈspɔr əs, ‐ˈspoʊr‐, maɪˈkrɒs pər əs/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for microspore

Historical Examples of microspore

Microspore, the smaller kind of spore when there are two kinds, 161.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray
Germination of the microspore begins before it leaves the pollen-sac.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1
Various

British Dictionary definitions for microspore

microspore

noun

the smaller of two types of spore produced by some spore-bearing plants, which develops into the male gametophyteCompare megaspore (def. 1)

the pollen grain of seed plants

Derived Formsmicrosporic or microsporous, 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

Word Origin and History for microspore

1856, from micro- + spore.

microspore in Science

microspore

[mīk′rə-spôr′]

One of the two types of haploid spores produced by a heterosporous plant. Microspores develop into male gametophytes and are usually smaller than megaspores. In angiosperms, the microspore develops into the pollen grain.