hornwort

[ hawrn-wurt, -wawrt ]

noun

1. any aquatic plant of the genus Ceratophyllum, found in ponds and slow streams.

hornwort

/ ˈhɔːnˌwɜːt /

noun

1. any aquatic plant of the genus Ceratophyllum, forming submerged branching masses in ponds and slow-flowing streams: family Ceratophyllaceae
2. any of a group of bryophytes belonging to the phylum Anthocerophyta , resembling liverworts but with hornlike sporophytes

hornwort

/ hôrn′wûrt′,-wôrt′ /

1. Any of about 100 species of small bryophyte plants belonging to the phylum Anthocerophyta. Unlike liverworts but like mosses, hornwort sporophytes have stomata. The hornwort gametophyte consists of a low thallus, out of which numerous slender, upright sporophytes tipped with sporangia grow. The sporophyte has a meristem that elongates the sporophyte with new growth, a feature that distinguishes the plant from the other bryophytes. The name of the hornworts was suggested by the hornlike appearance of the sporophytes.
2. See more at bryophyte

Word History and Origins

Origin of hornwort¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; horn + wort ²

Example Sentences

It is the Hornwort (Ceratophyllum) gently wriggling or moving from side to side.

From Project Gutenberg