Archegoniata
|Ar-che-go-ni-a-ta|
🇺🇸
/ˌɑr.kɪˌɡoʊˈnaɪ.ə.tə/
🇬🇧
/ˌɑː.kɪˌɡəˈnaɪ.ə.tə/
non-flowering land plants with archegonia
Etymology
'Archegoniata' originates from New Latin, specifically the taxonomic formation 'Archegoniata', derived from the Neo-Latin/Greek term 'archegonium' (from Greek 'arkhē' + 'gonē'), where 'arkhē' meant 'beginning' or 'primary' and 'gonē' meant 'offspring' or 'reproductive organ'.
'Archegoniata' entered scientific usage via New Latin in the 19th century as a name for plants bearing archegonia, coming from Greek 'archegonion/arkhē-gonē' through Latinized scientific terminology into English botanical literature.
Initially, it meant 'plants bearing archegonia' as a formal taxonomic group; over time the term became less used as modern phylogenetic classifications replaced it with more narrowly defined, monophyletic clades, so it is now largely historical or descriptive.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a (historical) group of land plants characterized by the presence of archegonia (multicellular female sex organs); a taxonomic grouping used in older classifications to include bryophytes, pteridophytes, and sometimes other embryophytes.
In 19th-century botanical texts, the Archegoniata were defined by their possession of archegonia.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/09 04:05