apospory
|a-pos-po-ry|
🇺🇸
/əˈpɑspəri/
🇬🇧
/əˈpɒspəri/
development without spores
Etymology
'apospory' originates from New Latin (scientific coinage), ultimately from Greek elements 'a-' + 'spora', where 'a-' meant 'not/without' and 'spora' meant 'seed' or 'spore'.
'apospory' was formed in New Latin/modern scientific vocabulary (compare New Latin 'aposporia' or 'apospora') and entered English usage in botanical literature in the late 19th to early 20th century, eventually stabilizing as the modern English term 'apospory'.
Initially it referred generally to absence of normal spore-related development ('without spore'), and over time it came to denote specifically the process by which gametophytes develop from somatic cells without meiosis or spore formation.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
in botany, the formation of a gametophyte (or gametophyte-like structure) directly from sporophytic somatic cells without meiosis or spore formation.
Apospory is observed in some ferns, where gametophytes arise directly from leaf tissue without spore production.
Last updated: 2025/09/21 21:28