pteridophyte

[ tuh-rid-uh-fahyt, ter-i-doh- ]

noun

1. any plant of the division Pteridophyta, characterized by vascular tissue and differentiation into root, stem, and leaves, comprising the ferns, horsetails, and club mosses.

pteridophyte

/ ˌtɛrɪdəʊˈfɪtɪk; ˌtɛrɪˈdɒfɪtəs; ˈtɛrɪdəʊˌfaɪt /

noun

1. (in traditional classification) any plant of the division Pteridophyta, reproducing by spores and having vascular tissue, roots, stems, and leaves: includes the ferns, horsetails, and club mosses. In modern classifications these plants are placed in separate phyla

pteridophyte

/ tə-rĭd′ə-fīt′,tĕr′ĭ-dō- /

1. Any of various vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds; a seedless vascular plant. The pteridophytes include the lycophytes, the horsetails, and the ferns, as well as a small group of related plants called the psilophytes and several extinct phyla.

Derived Forms

• pteridophytic, adjective

Other Words From

• pte·rid·o·phyt·ic [t, uh, -rid-, uh, -, fit, -ik, ter-i-doh-], pter·i·doph·y·tous [ter-i-, dof, -i-t, uh, s], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pteridophyte¹

1875–80; < New Latin Pteridophyta; pterido-, -phyte

Word History and Origins

Origin of pteridophyte¹

C19: from pterido-, from Greek pteris fern + -phyte