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monocotyledon

[ mon-uh-kot-l-eed-n ]
/ ˌmɒn əˌkɒt lˈid n /
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noun Botany.

an angiospermous plant of the class Monocotyledones, characterized by producing seeds with one cotyledon and an endogenous manner of growth.

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Compare dicotyledon.

Origin of monocotyledon

From New Latin, dating back to 1720–30; see origin at mono-, cotyledon

Words nearby monocotyledon

monoclonal, monoclonal antibody, monoclonality, monocoque, monocot, monocotyledon, monocotyledonous, monocracy, monocrat, monocrotic, monocrotism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for monocotyledon

  • The term monocotyledon is applied to these plants because the embryo has only one cotyledon or seed-leaf.

    The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux

  • The case described in your last letter of the trimorphic monocotyledon Pontederia is grand.

    More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for monocotyledon

monocotyledon
/ (ˌmɒnəʊˌkɒtɪˈliːdən) /

noun

any flowering plant of the class Monocotyledonae, having a single embryonic seed leaf, leaves with parallel veins, and flowers with parts in threes: includes grasses, lilies, palms, and orchidsOften shortened to: monocot Compare dicotyledon

Derived forms of monocotyledon

monocotyledonous, 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 monocotyledon

monocotyledon
[ mŏn′ə-kŏt′l-ēd′n ]
monocot (mŏn′ə-kŏt′)

Any of a class of angiosperm plants having a single cotyledon in the seed. Monocotyledons have leaves with parallel veins, flower parts in multiples of three, and fibrous root systems. Their primary vascular bundles are scattered throughout the stem, not arranged in a ring as in eudicotyledons. Grasses, palms, lilies, irises, and orchids are monocotyledons. See more at leaf. Compare eudicotyledon.

Other words from monocotyledon

monocotyledonous adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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