monoecious
Americanadjective
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Biology. having both male and female organs in the same individual; hermaphroditic.
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Botany. (of a plant, species, etc.) having the stamens and the pistils in separate flowers on the same plant.
adjective
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(of some flowering plants) having the male and female reproductive organs in separate flowers on the same plant
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(of some animals and lower plants) hermaphrodite
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Having separate male flowers and female flowers on the same plant. Maize and oaks are monoecious plants.
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Compare dioecious
Other Word Forms
- monoeciously adverb
- monoecism noun
- monoecy noun
Etymology
Origin of monoecious
First recorded in 1755–65; from New Latin (Linnaeus) Monoeci(a) the name of the group comprising monoecious plants, equivalent to Greek mon- “sole, one” + oîk(os) “house” + Latin -ia noun suffix; mon-, -ia, -ous
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The term for this is "monoecious," and because pumpkins are monoecious, they can cross pollinate with other pumpkins to create vegetables with a wide range of colors, shapes, textures and other variations.
From Salon • Oct. 30, 2022
Most flowers are monoecious or bisexual, which means that they carry both stamens and carpels; only a few species self-pollinate.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
Most flatworm species are monoecious, and fertilization is typically internal.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
In each case, such species are called monoecious plants, meaning “one house.”
From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013
Indeed, when a plant has monoecious or dioecious flowers, the distinction between the asexual and the sexual generation has practically been lost, and the spore-bearing generation has become identified with the sexual generation.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
