septifragal

American

[sep-tif-ruh-guhl] / sɛpˈtɪf rə gəl /

adjective

Botany.

(of a capsule) dehiscing by breaking away from the partitions but remaining attached to the common axis; dehiscing at the valves or backs of the carpels but leaving the septa intact.

septifragal British

/ sɛpˈtɪfrəɡəl /

adjective

(of a dehiscence) characterized by breaking apart from a natural line of division in the fruit

"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

Other Word Forms

septifragally adverb

Etymology

Origin of septifragal

C19: from _septi- ² + -fragal, from Latin frangere to break

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.

This is called Septifragal dehiscence.

From Project Gutenberg

Septifragal, where the valves in dehiscence break away from the partitions, 123.

From Project Gutenberg

Diagram of septifragal dehiscence of the loculicidal type.

From Project Gutenberg

Changed "Sepifragal" to "Septifragal" on page 123: "Septifragal dehiscence."

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023