cotyledon

See also: cotylédon

English

Etymology

From Latin cotyledon, from Ancient Greek κοτυληδών (kotulēdṓn, “cup-shaped cavity”), from κοτύλη (kotúlē, “cup”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kɒtɪˈliːdn̩/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌkɑtl̩ˈiːdn̩/

Noun

cotyledon (plural cotyledons)

1. (physiology) Each of the patches of vili on the foetal chorion of ruminants and some other mammals.
   • 1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society 2016, p. 72:

     Forced to apply animal findings to humans, his human womb also had cotyledons like a dog's.

2. (botany) The leaf of the embryo of a seed-bearing plant; after germination it becomes the first leaves of the seedling.

Synonyms

• seed leaf

Derived terms

• monocotyledon
• dicotyledon

• hypocotyl
• epicotyl

Translations

leaf of the embryo of a seed-bearing plant

• Finnish: sirkkalehti (fi)
• French: cotylédon (fr) m
• German: Keimblatt (de) n
• Greek: κοτυληδόνα (el) f (kotylidóna)
• Icelandic: kímblað (is) n
• Italian: cotiledone (it) m
• Japanese: 子葉 (ja) (しよう, shiyō)
• Karakalpak: bu'rtik

• Korean: 떡잎 (ko) (tteog-ip)
• Polish: liścień (pl) m
• Portuguese: cotilédone (pt) m
• Romanian: cotiledon (ro) n
• Serbo-Croatian: supka (sh) f
• Spanish: cotiledón (es) m
• Tagalog: bindahon