stamen

[stey-muhn]

noun

Botany.

plural

stamens, stamina 

1. the pollen-bearing organ of a flower, consisting of the filament and the anther.

stamen

/ ˈsteɪmɛn, ˌstæmɪˈnɪfərəs, ˈstæmɪnəl /

noun

1. the male reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of a stalk (filament) bearing an anther in which pollen is produced

stamen

plural

stamens 

1. The male reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of a filament and a pollen-bearing anther at its tip.

2. See more at anther flower

stamen

1. The organ of a flower on which the pollen grows.

Other Word Forms

• staminiferous adjective
• staminal adjective
• stamened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stamen¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stamen¹

C17: from Latin: the warp in an upright loom, from stāre to stand

Example Sentences

“It’s ruby red with four golden stamens,” her mother replies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But when you pull out the petals, they transform into individual mini ashtrays, and the stamens become pokers or packers.

Read more on Salon

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.

Read more on Science Daily

The hairy flower has a clear, glossy bottom and a yellow-orange tube that contains its stamens.

Read more on Washington Post

Positively charged hummingbirds pull negatively charged plant stamens toward their beaks.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• cord 
• cotton 
• filament 
• silk 
• strand 
• string 
• wire 
• wool 
• yarn