autoallogamous
|au-to-al-lo-ga-mous|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊəˈlæɡəməs/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊəˈlɒɡəməs/
both self-fertilizing and cross-fertilizing
Etymology
'autoallogamous' originates from Greek elements: 'auto-' from 'autos' meaning 'self', 'allo-' from 'allos' meaning 'other', and '-gamous' from 'gamos' meaning 'marriage' or 'union' (seen in 'gamy'/'gamous' referring to fertilization or mating).
'autoallogamous' was formed in botanical/biological usage by combining the concepts behind 'autogamous' and 'allogamous' (via New Latin and modern scientific coinage) to describe mixed breeding systems; it entered technical literature in the 19th–20th century as terms for mating systems evolved.
Initially the Greek elements separately meant 'self' and 'other' and 'marriage/union'; in scientific usage they combined to denote organisms or systems exhibiting both self- and cross-fertilization, a meaning that has remained stable in botanical contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
describing a breeding system or organism that exhibits both autogamy (self-fertilization) and allogamy (cross-fertilization); capable of or tending toward both self- and cross-fertilization.
Many wild populations include autoallogamous individuals that self-fertilize under isolation but outcross when pollinators are abundant.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/23 16:20