pteridophyte

[ tuh-rid-uh-fahyt, ter-i-doh- ]

noun

any plant of the division Pteridophyta, characterized by vascular tissue and differentiation into root, stem, and leaves, comprising the ferns, horsetails, and club mosses.

Origin of pteridophyte

1875–80; <New Latin Pteridophyta;see pterido-, -phyte

Other words from pteridophyte

pte·rid·o·phyt·ic [tuh-rid-uh-fit-ik, ter-i-doh-], /təˌrɪd əˈfɪt ɪk, ˌtɛr ɪ doʊ-/, pter·i·doph·y·tous [ter-i-dof-i-tuhs], /ˌtɛr ɪˈdɒf ɪ təs/, adjective

Words Nearby pteridophyte

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British Dictionary definitions for pteridophyte

pteridophyte

/ (ˈtɛrɪdəʊˌfaɪt) /

noun

(in traditional classification) any plant of the division Pteridophyta, reproducing by spores and having vascular tissue, roots, stems, and leaves: includes the ferns, horsetails, and club mosses. In modern classifications these plants are placed in separate phyla

Origin of pteridophyte

C19: from pterido-, from Greek pteris fern + -phyte

Derived forms of pteridophyte

pteridophytic (ˌtɛrɪdəʊˈfɪtɪk) or pteridophytous (ˌtɛrɪˈdɒfɪtəs), adjective

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 pteridophyte

pteridophyte

[ tə-rĭd′ə-fīt′, tĕr′ĭ-dō- ]

Any of various vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds; a seedless vascular plant. The pteridophytes include the lycophytes, the horsetails, and the ferns, as well as a small group of related plants called the psilophytes and several extinct phyla.

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