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meristem

 - 3 dictionary results

mer⋅i⋅stem

  [mer-uh-stem]
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–noun Botany.
embryonic tissue in plants; undifferentiated, growing, actively dividing cells.
Origin:
1870–75; < Gk merist(ós) divided, distributed (equiv. to *merid-, s. of merízein to divide into parts (deriv. of méris part, share) + -tos v. adj. suffix) + -em < Gk -ēma termination of nouns denoting result of action; cf. -eme
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mer·i·stem   (měr'ĭ-stěm')   
n.  The undifferentiated plant tissue from which new cells are formed, as that at the tip of a stem or root.

[Greek meristos, divided (from merizein, to divide, from meris, division; see (s)mer-2 in Indo-European roots) + -em (as in xylem and phloem).]
mer'i·ste·mat'ic (-stə-māt'ĭk) adj., mer'i·ste·mat'i·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

meristem [(mer-i-stem)]

The region on a plant where division of cells (and hence growth) occurs. Usually, meristems are found in the shoots and root tips, and places where branches meet the stem. In trees, growth occurs in the cambium — the layer just beneath the bark.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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