synergid

[si-nur-jid, sin-er-]

noun

Botany.

1. one of two small cells that lie inside the embryo sac of a flowering plant and nourish the ovum.

synergid

1. One of two small, short-lived nuclei lying near the egg in the mature embryo sac of a flowering plant. The synergids are part of the egg apparatus and are thought to help the pollen nucleus reach the egg cell for fertilization.

2. See more at egg apparatus embryo sac

Other Word Forms

• synergidal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of synergid¹

First recorded in 1875–80; from Greek synerg(ós) “working together” + -id ² ( def. ); synergism ( def. )

Example Sentences

"The cells that generate the attraction system are mostly synergid cells, whereas the cells that generate the repulsion system include multiple types such as somatic and gametophytic cells at multistep levels. I find it very interesting that all couplings involve this mechanism of attracting and repelling."

Read more on Science Daily

At the apical end, next the micropyle, is the egg-apparatus, comprising the egg-cell or ovum flanked by the two synergid� or helping-cells, while the basal or chalazal end is occupied by the three antipodal 'cells'.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

When To Use

What does synergid mean?

A synergid is a small cell within the embryo sac of a plant. A plant will have two synergids to help the pollen of another plant reach the ovum (egg) of the synergids’ plant. Almost all flowering plants reproduce through the fertilization of ovums. After pollen makes its way into a plant’s ovum, sperm cells are released into the embryo sac. One of the two synergids will accept a sperm cell, guiding it to its neighboring egg cell, fertilizing the cell that will become the embryo. After this fertilization, both synergids begin to degenerate so that they don’t attract sperm cells from other pollen.Example: We learned about synergids and the reproductive process of some plants in botany today.