elater

(elə tər)

noun

  1. an elastic filament that scatters the ripe spores, found in certain plants, as in the capsule of a liverwort
  2. click beetle

Origin: ModL < Gr elatēr, driver < elaunein: see elastic

See elater in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. An elaterid beetle.
  2. Botany A tiny elongated structure that forces the dispersal of spores by the absorption of moisture. It is either a band attached to the spore, as in horsetails, or a filament occurring among the spores, as in liverworts.

Origin:

Origin: Greek elatēr, driver

Origin: , from elaunein, to drive

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