zygomorphic

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

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

Origin of zygomorphic

1
First recorded in 1870–75; zygo- + -morphic
  • Also zy·go·mor·phous [zahy-guh-mawr-fuhs, zig-uh-] /ˌzaɪ gəˈmɔr fəs, ˌzɪg ə-/ .

Other words from zygomorphic

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use zygomorphic in a sentence

  • Zygomorphous, said of a flower which can be bisected only in one plane into similar halves.

British Dictionary definitions for zygomorphic

zygomorphic

zygomorphous

/ (ˌzaɪɡəʊˈmɔːfɪk, ˌzɪɡ-) /


adjective
  1. (of a flower) capable of being cut in only one plane so that the two halves are mirror images: See 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-môrfĭk, zĭg′ə- ]


  1. 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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.