macrospore
|mac-ro-spore|
🇺🇸
/ˈmækrəspɔr/
🇬🇧
/ˈmækrəspɔː/
large (female) spore
Etymology
'macrospore' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'makrós' and 'spora', where 'makrós' meant 'large' and 'spora' meant 'seed' or 'sowing'.
'macrospore' was formed in New Latin/modern botanical coinage by combining the Greek roots 'makrós' + 'spora' and entered English via scientific Latin usage.
Initially, it meant 'large spore', and over time this literal meaning has remained stable and is retained in modern botanical usage as the term for a large (often female) spore.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a relatively large spore produced by heterosporous plants (such as some ferns, lycophytes, and seed plants) that develops into the female gametophyte; essentially equivalent to a megaspore in many usages.
Under the microscope, the botanist identified several macrospores inside the sporangium.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/13 07:10