monoecious

[ muh-nee-shuhs ]

adjective

Biology. having both male and female organs in the same individual; hermaphroditic.
Botany. (of a plant, species, etc.) having the stamens and the pistils in separate flowers on the same plant.

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Origin of monoecious

First recorded in 1755–65; from New Latin (Linnaeus) Monoeci(a) the name of the group comprising monoecious plants, equivalent to Greek mon- “sole, one” + oîk(os) “house” + Latin -ia noun suffix; see mon-, -ia,-ous

Also monecious.

Other words from monoecious

mo·noe·cious·ly, adverb
mo·noe·cism [muh-nee-siz-uhm], /məˈni sɪz əm/, mo·noe·cy, noun

Words Nearby monoecious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use monoecious in a sentence

The flowers are dioecious, rarely monoecious, provided with one or two perianths.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7 | Various
The stamens become numerous (ten to forty) in the male flowers of a few monoecious genera (Pariana, Luziola).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 | Various
In warmer countries monoecious and dioecious grasses are more frequent.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 | Various
monoecious: when both sexual elements or glands exist in one individual.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology | John. B. Smith
Shrubs, with monoecious or dioecious flowers in catkins, and aromatic foliage.
The Plants of Michigan | Henry Allan Gleason

British Dictionary definitions for monoecious

monoecious

monecious monoicous (mɒˈnɔɪkəs)

/ (mɒˈniːʃəs) /

adjective

(of some flowering plants) having the male and female reproductive organs in separate flowers on the same plant
(of some animals and lower plants) hermaphrodite

Origin of monoecious

C18: from New Latin monoecia, from mono- + Greek oikos house

Compare dioecious

Derived forms of monoecious

monoeciously or moneciously, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for monoecious

monoecious

[ mə-nē′shəs ]

Having separate male flowers and female flowers on the same plant. Maize and oaks are monoecious plants. Compare dioecious.

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