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micropyle

 [mahy-kruh-pahyl]  

mi·cro·pyle

   [mahy-kruh-pahyl]
noun
1.
Zoology. any minute opening in an ovum through which a spermatozoon can enter, as in many insects.
2.
Botany. the minute orifice or opening in the integuments of an ovule.

Origin:
1815–25; micro- + Greek pýlē gate

Related forms
mi·cro·py·lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To micropyle

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Micropyle is always a great word to know.
So is bird. Does it mean:
phylum comprised of mollusks
warm-blooded vertebrate with feathers, wings, scaly legs and beak which bear young in shelled eggs
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Collins
World English Dictionary
micropyle (ˈmaɪkrəʊˌpaɪl)
 
—n
1.  a small opening in the integuments of a plant ovule through which the male gametes pass
2.  a small pore in the shell of an insect's eggs through which the sperm passes
 
[C19: from micro- + Greek pulē gate]
 
micro'pylar
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
micropyle   (mī'krə-pīl')  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A minute opening in the ovule of a seed plant through which the pollen tube usually enters.

  2. A pore in the membrane covering the ovum of some animals through which a spermatozoon can enter.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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