Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Nearby Entries
dioecism - 3 dictionary results

di⋅oe⋅cious

  [dahy-ee-shuhs]
Use dioecism in a Sentence
–adjective Biology.
(esp. of plants) having the male and female organs in separate and distinct individuals; having separate sexes.
Also, diecious.

Origin:
1740–50; < NL Dioeci(a) a class name (di- di- 1 + Gk oikía a house, dwelling, sp. var. of oîkos) + -ous

Related forms:
di⋅oe⋅cious⋅ly, adverb
di⋅oe⋅cious⋅ness, noun
di⋅oe⋅cism  [dahy-ee-siz-uhm] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dioecism
di·oe·cious also di·e·cious   (dī-ē'shəs)   
adj.   Botany
  1. Having the male and female reproductive organs borne on separate individuals of the same species.
  2. Characterized by species in which the male and female reproductive organs occur on different individuals; sexually distinct.

[From New Latin Dioecia, former class name : di-1 + Greek oikiā, a dwelling; see weik-1 in Indo-European roots.]
di·oe'cious·ly adv., di·oe'cism (-sĭz'əm) n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Dioecism

Di*[oe]"cism\, n. (Biol.) The condition of being di[oe]cious.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see dioecism on Thesaurus | Reference