stamen
Americannoun
-
stamens,
plural
-
stamina
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of stamen
1640–50; < Latin stāmen warp in upright loom, thread, filament, equivalent to stā ( re ) to stand + -men noun suffix; akin to Greek stḗmōn warp, Sanskrit sthāman place
Explanation
A stamen is the part of a flower that produces pollen so it can reproduce. The number of stamens in most flowers is the same as the number of petals. In many flowers, you can easily see the stamens—or more precisely, the parts of the stamen called filaments, the thin stalks in the middle of the bloom, and the anthers, the tiny pods that hold the pollen. In Latin, stamen means "foundational warp thread in weaving," and its root means "to stand, or make firm."
Vocabulary lists containing stamen
Life Science: Plants
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Plants (Botany) - Middle School
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Plants (Botany) - High School
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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.
See Examples For:
This allowed them to identify a signal emitted by the maternal tissue that attracts pollen tubes by leading them to elongate along the stamen tissue and reach the site of fertilization.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024
When a bee rummages around for nectar in the flower’s center, it triggers the next stamen to come sweeping in, ready for a new bee, or the previous bee’s return.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2019
What is the primary difference between a stamen and a carpel?
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2018
“We’re trying to make the environmental movement more fun and diverse – it has become very dry and boring,” Sprinkle, 62, tells me, pointing to a suggestively exuberant hibiscus stamen.
From The Guardian ● May 15, 2017
I gently pull the stamen through the blossom and set the drop of nectar on my tongue.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Inside the egg, a surprise awaits: a bouquet of flowers made of white quartz wood anemones, each flower with gold wire stem and stamens.
From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025
The hairy flower has a clear, glossy bottom and a yellow-orange tube that contains its stamens.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 4, 2023
Positively charged hummingbirds pull negatively charged plant stamens toward their beaks.
From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2022
Later in spring, bloom continues more demurely, when Magnolia wilsonii and M. sieboldii, a couple of Larson’s favorite species, produce fragrant, nodding white flowers with pink to crimson stamens.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 9, 2022
Ms. Keen has spent a week teaching us the finer points of stamens and pistils, seedpods and flowers.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
The priority will be developing the stamina, pacing and tactical patience required over 12 rounds before pursuing another world title opportunity.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Corgi, an insurance startup, has asked some candidates to participate in multiday work trials, sometimes on weekends, to test their stamina.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
They’re in it for the long haul—there is a sense of orderliness, of anger and energy being spent judiciously to preserve stamina.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
“I feel all right,” said Wrobleski, a first-time All-Star, about his season-long stamina after his last outing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
It was a combination of his relentless stamina, survival skills, and mathematical mind that made him the perfect candidate to join one of Brazil’s boldest and most brutal projects—building the telegraph network.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
