non-angiospermous
|non-an-gi-o-sperm-ous|
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/nɑnænˌdʒiəˈspɜrməs/
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/nɒnænˌdʒiəˈspɜːməs/
not a flowering (angiosperm) plant
Etymology
'non-angiospermous' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'non-' (a productive English negative prefix) combined with 'angiospermous', where 'angio-' comes from Greek 'angeion' meaning 'container' or 'vessel' and 'sperm(a)' from Greek 'sperma' meaning 'seed' (via New Latin/Modern Latin 'Angiospermae').
'non-angiospermous' was formed in modern English by attaching the negative prefix 'non-' to the adjective 'angiospermous' (which itself derives from New Latin 'angiospermus'/'Angiospermae', built from Greek roots 'angeion' + 'sperma'), producing the compound meaning 'not angiospermous'.
Initially, the root 'angiosperm' (from Greek via New Latin) meant 'seed in a vessel' and came to denote flowering plants; by adding 'non-' the compound came to mean 'not belonging to the flowering-plant group'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not angiospermous; pertaining to or characteristic of plants that are not angiosperms (i.e., not flowering plants)—for example gymnosperms, ferns, lycophytes, mosses, and other non-flowering plant groups.
The fossil assemblage was clearly non-angiospermous, dominated by gymnospermous and fern-like taxa.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/26 19:40