liverwort

noun

liv·​er·​wort ˈli-vər-ˌwərt 

-ˌwȯrt

1

: any of a class (Hepaticae) of bryophytic plants characterized by a thalloid gametophyte or sometimes an upright leafy gametophyte that resembles a moss

2

: hepatica

Examples of liverwort in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even now, modern mosses and liverworts still have rhizoids rather than the complex, burrowing roots of vascular plants. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026

Understanding Moss Growth Bryologists study moss or bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts), and with more than 20,000 species, there are plenty of mosses to explore. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026

Early plants like mosses and liverworts emerged around 470 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. — Scott Travers, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

Along with their cousins liverworts and hornworts, they are known as bryophytes. — Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 28 Feb. 2023

Now, a new study of the mosses and liverworts found inside his body and near his corpse are telling us even more about this Copper Age man’s final days. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 1 Nov. 2019

Researchers from the University of Glasgow and the University of Innsbruck recovered at least 75 species of bryophytes, non-vascular plants such as mosses and liverworts, that had been preserved in ice with Otzi. — Jessie Yeung, CNN, 31 Oct. 2019

Bryophytes such as mosses and liverworts can only be studied in exceptional scenarios of preservation, such as an anaerobic bog or, in Ötzi's case, a frozen mountain pass. — Megan Gannon, National Geographic, 30 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing liverwort

• leafy liverwort

Kids Definition

liverwort

noun

liv·​er·​wort ˈliv-ər-ˌwərt 

-ˌwȯ(ə)rt

: any of a class of flowerless plants related to and resembling the mosses but differing especially in their reproduction and development