archegoniates
|ar-che-go-ni-ates|
🇺🇸
/ˌɑrkiˈɡoʊniˌeɪts/
🇬🇧
/ˌɑːkɪˈɡəʊniˌeɪts/
(archegoniate)
bearing/producing archegonia (female reproductive organs)
Etymology
'archegoniate' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'archegonion', where 'arche-' meant 'beginning' and 'gonē' meant 'offspring' or 'seed'.
'archegonion' (Greek) passed into Neo-Latin as 'archegonium' referring to the female reproductive organ in plants; from this the adjective/verb 'archegoniate' and its plural 'archegoniates' developed in botanical English.
Initially, the root referred to a 'beginning' or 'origin' (and in compound to a 'female reproductive organ'); over time it came to denote specifically the organ that produces the egg and, by extension, plants that bear that organ.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'archegoniate': a plant (or group of plants) that bears archegonia (female reproductive organs typical of many non-flowering plants).
Several archegoniates were collected from the peat bog for microscopic study.
Synonyms
Verb 1
third person singular present of 'archegoniate': to produce or bear archegonia (i.e., to form the female reproductive organs).
In damp conditions the moss archegoniates and eggs develop within the archegonia.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
describing a plant that has or bears archegonia (i.e., possessing female reproductive organs typical of certain non-flowering plants).
The archegoniates tissue was examined to confirm the presence of mature archegonia.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/09 04:14