liver wort
ərˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt noun
any mosslike plant of the class Hepaticae, growing chiefly on damp ground, rocks, or on tree trunks and helping the decay of logs and the disintegration of rocks.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To liver wort
Collins
World English Dictionary
liverwort (ˈlɪvəˌwɜːt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| See also scale moss any bryophyte plant of the phylum Hepatophyta, growing in wet places and resembling green seaweeds or leafy mosses | |
| [late Old English liferwyrt] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Liver wort
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
liverwort
late O.E. lifenwyrt, from lifer "liver" + wyrt "wort." A loan-translation of M.L. hepatica. Applied to various plants with liver-shaped leaves or that were used to treat liver disorders. Cf. Ger. leberkraut.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
liverwort  (lĭv'ər-wûrt', -wôrt') Pronunciation Key
Any of about 6,000 species of bryophyte plants belonging to the phylum Hepatophyta. Many liverworts reproduce asexually by means of gemmae. They also reproduce sexually, and their free-swimming sperm, produced in structures called antheridia, require liquid water, such as splashing raindrops, to reach the egg-producing archegonia. After fertilization, the small sporophyte grows directly on or in the gametophyte and is nourished by it. Liverworts are common in the tropics and often grow in moist soil, on damp rocks, and on tree trunks. Some liverworts have leafy bodies, while others have only a simple thallus. The name liverwort comes from the liverlike shape of the thalli of some species. See more at bryophyte. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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