archegonium

[ ahr-ki-goh-nee-uhm ]

noun

, Botany.

, plural ar·che·go·ni·a [ahr-ki-, goh, -nee-, uh].

1. the female reproductive organ in ferns, mosses, etc.

archegonium

/ ˌɑːkɪˈɡəʊnɪəm /

noun

1. a female sex organ, occurring in mosses, spore-bearing vascular plants, and gymnosperms, that produces a single egg cell in its swollen base

archegonium

/ är′kĭ-gō′nē-əm /

, Plural archegonia

1. The egg-producing organ occurring in bryophytes (such as mosses and liverworts), ferns, and most gymnosperms. The archegonium is a multicellular, often flask-shaped structure that contains a single egg.
2. Compare antheridium

Derived Forms

• ˌarcheˈgoniate, adjective

Other Words From

• arche·goni·al ar·che·go·ni·ate [ahr-ki-, goh, -nee-it, -eyt], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of archegonium¹

1850–55; < New Latin, equivalent to archegon- (< Greek archégonos first of a race; arche-, gono- ) + -ium < Greek -ion diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of archegonium¹

C19: from New Latin, from Greek arkhegonos original parent, from arkhe- chief, first + gonos seed, race

Example Sentences

They must swim, unaided, across an ephemeral film of water coating the nooks and crannies of mosses in search of an egg concealed within a protective structure called an archegonium.

From Scientific American

In germination they develop a minute prothallus which bears archegonia to be fertilized by antherozoids developed from the microspores.

From Project Gutenberg

The structure of the seed, the presence of two neck-cells in the archegonia, the late development of the embryo, the partially-fused cotyledons and certain anatomical characters, are features common to Ginkgo and the cycads.

From Project Gutenberg

By dissecting the young buds, archegonia in all stages of growth may be found.

From Project Gutenberg

When the archegonium opens by the separation of the cells at the tip, the disorganized canal-cells escape, leaving a narrow tubular passage leading down to the ovum.

From Project Gutenberg