monocotyledon

American  

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

noun

Botany.

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

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monocotyledon British  

/ ˌmɒnəʊˌkɒtɪˈliːdən /

noun

1. Often shortened to: monocot.  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 orchids Compare dicotyledon

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monocotyledon Scientific  

/ mŏn′ə-kŏt′l-ēd′n /

1. 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.

2. See more at leaf Compare eudicotyledon

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Other Word Forms

• monocotyledonous adjective

Etymology

Origin of monocotyledon

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

Compare meaning

How does monocotyledon compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• monocotyledon vs. dicotyledon

Example Sentences

This will bring up the terms dicotyledon and monocotyledon.

From Outlines of Lessons in Botany, Part I; from Seed to Leaf by Newell, Jane H.

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

From More Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2 by Darwin, Francis, Sir

In Palæozoic strata the entire want of plants of the most complex organisation is very striking, for not a single dicotyledonous angiosperm has yet been found, and only one undoubted monocotyledon.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 15 — Science by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir

Zea mays: Sensitiveness of the apex of the Radicle to contact.—A large number of trials were made on this plant, as it was the only monocotyledon on which we experimented.

From The Power of Movement in Plants by Darwin, Charles

Nothing could be more useful than botany-those who could not distinguish between a dicotyledon and a monocotyledon could certainly never rightly grasp the nature of a hedgerow.

From Hodge and His Masters by Jefferies, Richard