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Definition of propagule - 3 dictionary results

prop⋅a⋅gule

  [prop-uh-gyool]
Use propagule in a Sentence
–noun
Botany, Mycology. any structure capable of being propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction.
Also, pro⋅pag⋅u⋅lum  [proh-pag-yuh-luhm] .

Origin:
1855–60; < NL propāgulum, deriv. of propāgō shoot, runner; see propagate, -ule
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To propagule
prop·a·gule   (prŏp'ə-gyōōl')   
n.  Any of various usually vegetative portions of a plant, such as a bud or other offshoot, that aid in dispersal of the species and from which a new individual may develop.

[New Latin prōpāgulum, diminutive of Latin prōpāgō, shoot, from prōpāgāre, to propagate; see propagate.]
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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Science Dictionary
propagule   (prŏp'ə-gyl')  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Any of various structures that can give rise to a new individual organism, especially parts of a plant that serve as means of vegetative reproduction, such as corms, tubers, offsets, or runners. Seeds and spores are also propagules.

  2. A elongated, dart-shaped seedling of various mangrove species growing in swampy habitats. A propagule develops from a seed that germinates while still attached to the parent tree. The parent supplies the seedling with nutrients and water until it becomes heavy and drops off. Its pointed end sticks in the mud or it floats away to colonize another area.


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