archegonium

[ ahr-ki-goh-nee-uhm ]

noun,plural ar·che·go·ni·a [ahr-ki-goh-nee-uh]. /ˌɑr kɪˈgoʊ ni ə/. Botany.
  1. the female reproductive organ in ferns, mosses, etc.

Origin of archegonium

1
1850–55; <New Latin, equivalent to archegon- (<Greek archégonos first of a race; see arche-, gono-) + -ium<Greek -ion diminutive suffix

Other words from archegonium

  • ar·che·go·ni·al, ar·che·go·ni·ate [ahr-ki-goh-nee-it, -eyt], /ˌɑr kɪˈgoʊ ni ɪt, -ˌeɪt/, adjective

Words Nearby archegonium

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British Dictionary definitions for archegonium

archegonium

/ (ˌɑːkɪˈɡəʊnɪəm) /


nounplural -nia (-nɪə)
  1. a female sex organ, occurring in mosses, spore-bearing vascular plants, and gymnosperms, that produces a single egg cell in its swollen base

Origin of archegonium

1
C19: from New Latin, from Greek arkhegonos original parent, from arkhe- chief, first + gonos seed, race

Derived forms of archegonium

  • archegoniate, adjective

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 archegonium

archegonium

[ är′kĭ-gōnē-əm ]


Plural archegonia
  1. The egg-producing organ occurring in bryophytes (such as mosses and liverworts), ferns, and most gymnosperms. The archegonium is a multicellular, often flask-shaped structure that contains a single egg. Compare antheridium.

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