zygomorphic

[ zahy-guh-mawr-fik, zig-uh- ]

/ ˌzaɪ gəˈmɔr fɪk, ˌzɪg ə- /

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adjective Biology.

having bilateral symmetry; divisible lengthwise into similar or symmetrical halves.

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Also zy·go·mor·phous

[zahy-guh-mawr-fuhs, zig-uh-] /ˌzaɪ gəˈmɔr fəs, ˌzɪg ə-/ .

Origin of zygomorphic

First recorded in 1870–75; zygo- + -morphic

OTHER WORDS FROM zygomorphic

zy·go·mor·phy

[zahy-guh-mawr-fee], /ˈzaɪ gəˌmɔr fi/, zy·go·mor·phism, noun

Words nearby zygomorphic

zygoma, zygomatic, zygomatic arch, zygomatic bone, zygomatic process, zygomorphic, zygomycete, zygomycota, zygophore, zygophyllaceous, zygophyte

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use zygomorphic in a sentence

When a flower can be divided by a single plane into two exactly similar parts; then it is said to be zygomorphic.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5|Various
The flowers are always more or less bilaterally symmetrical (zygomorphic).
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell
In Pelargonium the flower is zygomorphic with a spurred posterior sepal and the petals differing in size or shape.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for zygomorphic

zygomorphic

zygomorphous

/ (ˌzaɪɡəʊˈmɔːfɪk, ˌzɪɡ-) /

adjective

(of a flower) capable of being cut in only one plane so that the two halves are mirror imagesSee also actinomorphic

Derived forms of zygomorphic

zygomorphism or zygomorphy, noun

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

Scientific definitions for zygomorphic

zygomorphic

[ zī′gə-môr′fĭk, zĭg′ə- ]

Relating to a flower that can be divided into equal halves along only one line; bilaterally symmetrical. The flowers of the iris and the snapdragon are zygomorphic. Compare actinomorphic.