Gymnospermous

/dʒɪmˈnɑːspərməs/ adjective

Definition

Bearing or having naked seeds; characteristic of plants whose seeds are not enclosed in a fruit or ovary.

Etymology

From Greek 'gymnos' (naked) and 'spermous' (seed-bearing or seed-producing), using the '-ous' suffix meaning 'full of' or 'having the quality of.'

Kelly Says

'-ous' is Latin's way of saying 'having lots of something'—so 'gymnospermous' literally means 'having lots of naked seeds' or 'characterized by naked seeds.'

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.