xylem

noun

xy·​lem ˈzī-ləm 

-ˌlem

: a complex tissue in the vascular system of higher plants that consists of vessels, tracheids, or both usually together with wood fibers and parenchyma cells, functions chiefly in conduction of water and dissolved minerals but also in support and food storage, and typically constitutes the woody element (as of a plant stem) compare phloem

Examples of xylem in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Calcium is taken up through the roots and relies on water flow through the xylem for transport through the plant. —Nora Doonan, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025

This growth produces xylem cells to the outside and phloem cells to the inside; xylem conducts water and minerals from the roots up into the tree branches and leaves while phloem conducts sugar made in leaves in the opposite direction. —Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2025

The fungus attacks the xylem, or water-conducting vessels of the trees, and the tree responds by plugging its tissues. —Ryan Maxin, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Feb. 2024

The remnants of the xylem and phloem — tubules that transport water, sugars and nutrients throughout living leaves — somehow become a root. —Douglas Main, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

German, from Greek xylon

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing xylem

• xylem ray

Rhymes for xylem

• phylum
• whilom
• asylum

Kids Definition

xylem

noun

xy·​lem ˈzī-ləm 

-ˌlem

: a tissue of higher plants that carries water and dissolved materials upward, functions also in support and storage, lies deeper inside the plant than the phloem, and usually makes up the woody parts (as of a plant stem) compare phloem