gametophyte
noun
ga·me·to·phyte
gə-ˈmē-tə-ˌfīt 
plural gametophytes
: the haploid, multicellular, sexual reproductive stage in plants and algae that develops from spores and that gives rise to the male and female gametes which unite during fertilization to form the zygote
Note: In plants, both the gametophyte and sporophyte stages are present on one plant, but one of the stages will be greatly reduced or only present seasonally.
Angiosperm plants produce flowers, very beautiful and intricate structures, within which their reproductive development takes place. … The flower contains specialized structures, the anthers and the pistil or gynoecium, in which the male and female gametophytes, respectively, are formed.—
Joseph P. Mascarenhas
Joseph P. MascarenhasMosses exist in two distinct generations—the green, leafy gametophyte (the familiar green phase) and the wiry and leafless sporophyte …—Drew Monkman
compare sporophyte
Drew MonkmanExamples of gametophyte in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One of those ways creates quite a bit of suffering for humans: pollen, the infamous male gametophyte of the plant kingdom.
—Christine Cairns Fortuin, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
Nowellia curvifolia (leafy liverwort) gametophyte, berberine stained.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2014
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Christine Cairns Fortuin, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
Nowellia curvifolia (leafy liverwort) gametophyte, berberine stained.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2014
Cite this Entry
“Gametophyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gametophyte. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gametophyte
noun
ga·me·to·phyte
gə-ˈmēt-ə-ˌfīt
: the individual or generation of plants or fungi with alternating sexual and asexual generations that produces gametes compare sporophyte
Medical Definition
gametophyte
noun
ga·me·to·phyte
gə-ˈmēt-ə-ˌfīt
: the individual or generation of a plant exhibiting alternation of generations that bears sex organs compare sporophyte
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