: a small dry indehiscent one-seeded fruit (as of a sunflower) developing from a simple ovary and usually having a thin pericarp attached to the seed at only one point
Examples of achene in a Sentence
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The fruits on a strawberry are also achenes, appearing as tiny, dry brown or white specks on the skin, each of which contains a single seed.
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Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 10 Oct. 2025
Think of the seeds (achenes) on the outside of a berry.
—Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 27 June 2019
At the base of each twisty tail is an achene, or tiny fruit.
—Robert Llewellyn and Teri Dunn Chace, Discover Magazine, 14 Sep. 2015
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Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 10 Oct. 2025
Think of the seeds (achenes) on the outside of a berry.
—Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 27 June 2019
At the base of each twisty tail is an achene, or tiny fruit.
—Robert Llewellyn and Teri Dunn Chace, Discover Magazine, 14 Sep. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Achene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/achene. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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achene
noun
: a small dry one-seeded fruit (as of the sunflower) that ripens without bursting open
achenial
adjective
ə-ˈkē-nē-əl
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