cotyledon

noun

cot·​y·​le·​don ˌkä-tə-ˈlē-dᵊn 

1

: a lobule of the mammalian placenta

2

: the first leaf or one of the first pair or whorl of leaves developed by the embryo of a seed plant or of some lower plants (such as ferns) see seedling illustration

cotyledonary

ˌkä-tə-ˈlē-də-ˌner-ē 

adjective

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek kotylēdōn cup-shaped hollow, from kotylē cup, anything hollow

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cotyledon

noun

cot·​y·​le·​don ˌkät-ᵊl-ˈēd-ᵊn 

: the first leaf or one of the first leaves developed by the embryo of a seed plant that is usually folded within the seed until germination and serves as a storehouse of food

called also seed leaf

Medical Definition

cotyledon

noun

cot·​y·​le·​don ˌkät-ᵊl-ˈēd-ᵊn 

1

: a lobule (see lobule sense 2) of a mammalian placenta that facilitates the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus

2

: the first leaf or one of the first pair or whorl of leaves developed by the embryo of a seed plant

cotyledonary

-ˈēd-ᵊn-ˌer-ē 

adjective