cotyledon

[ kot-l-eed-n ]

nounBotany.
  1. the primary or rudimentary leaf of the embryo of seed plants.

  2. Anatomy. any of several lobules of the placenta.

Origin of cotyledon

1
1535–45; <Latin: navelwort <Greek kotylēdṓn a plant (probably navelwort), literally, a cuplike hollow, derivative of kotýlē cup

Other words from cotyledon

  • cot·y·le·don·al, cot·y·le·don·ar·y [kot-l-eed-n-er-ee], /ˌkɒt lˈid nˌɛr i/, cot·y·le·don·ous, adjective
  • non·cot·y·le·don·al, adjective
  • non·cot·y·le·don·ar·y, adjective
  • non·cot·y·le·don·ous, adjective
  • pseu·do·cot·y·le·don·al, adjective
  • pseu·do·cot·y·le·don·ar·y, adjective

Words Nearby cotyledon

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How to use cotyledon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cotyledon

cotyledon

/ (ˌkɒtɪˈliːdən) /


noun
  1. a simple embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, which, in some species, forms the first green leaf after germination

  2. a tuft of villi on the mammalian placenta

Origin of cotyledon

1
C16: from Latin: a plant, navelwort, from Greek kotulēdōn, from kotulē cup, hollow

Derived forms of cotyledon

  • cotyledonous or cotyledonoid, adjective
  • cotyledonal, adjective
  • cotyledonary, 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 cotyledon

cotyledon

[ kŏt′l-ēdn ]


  1. A leaf of the embryo of a seed-bearing plant. Most cotyledons emerge, enlarge, and become green after the seed has germinated. Cotyledons either store food for the growing embryo (as in monocotyledons) or absorb food that has been stored in the endosperm (as in other angiosperms) for eventual distribution to the growing parts of the embryo. Also called seed leaf See more at eudicotyledon monocotyledon.

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