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cotyledon

The definition of a cotyledon is the first leaf or set of leaves that sprout from a seed.

(noun)

An example of a cotyledon is the first two leaves that sprout from a sunflower seed.

See cotyledon in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

the first single leaf or one of the first pair of leaves produced by the embryo of a flowering plant, or any of various similar structures found in conifers

Origin: ModL < L, name of a plant < Gr kotylēdōn < kotylē, a hollow, cavity

Related Forms:

cotyledonous adjective or cotyledonal

See cotyledon in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Botany A leaf of the embryo of a seed plant, which upon germination either remains in the seed or emerges, enlarges, and becomes green. Also called seed leaf.
Anatomy One of the lobules constituting the uterine side of the mammalian placenta, consisting mainly of a rounded mass of villi.

Origin:

Origin: Latin cotylēdōn, navelwort

Origin: , from Greek kotulēdōn

Origin: , from kotulē, hollow object

Related Forms: