archaeopteris
|ar-kiː-ɒp-tə-rɪs|
🇺🇸
/ˌɑrkiːˈɑptərɪs/
🇬🇧
/ˌɑːkiːˈɒptərɪs/
ancient fern-like tree
Etymology
'archaeopteris' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the words 'arkhaios' and 'pteris', where 'arkhaios' meant 'ancient' and 'pteris' meant 'fern'.
'archaeopteris' was coined in 19th-century paleobotanical naming by combining the Greek prefix 'archaeo-' with 'pteris' and adopted as the scientific genus name 'Archaeopteris'.
Initially, it meant 'ancient fern', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a genus of late Devonian progymnosperm trees resembling ferns'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a genus of extinct late Devonian progymnosperm plants — tree-like, woody plants with fern-like fronds, often regarded as among the earliest trees and important in the development of early forests.
Fossils of archaeopteris provide evidence of some of the earliest forest ecosystems on Earth.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/04 07:40