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

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