aetheogam
See also: aëtheogam
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Ancient Greek ἀήθης (aḗthēs, “unusual”) + γάμος (gámos, “marriage”).[1]
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ā.ēʹthĭōgăm, IPA(key): /eɪˈiːθɪəʊɡæm/,[1]
Noun
editaetheogam (plural aetheogams)
- (botany) A cryptogam; a plant of the obsolete taxonomic class Cryptogamia, having neither stamina nor pistils, and therefore no proper flowers, such as an alga, fern, fungus, lichen or moss.
Usage notes
edit- Being derived from the two vowels ἀή (aḗ) (alpha-eta: aē), rather than the diphthong αἰ (ai) (alpha-iota: ai), the initial ae- of aetheogam can only properly be written as two separate letters (ae), with a diaeresis atop the e (as aëtheogam) being optional; the spellings *ætheogam and *etheogam are, therefore, erroneous.
Synonyms
editDerived terms
edit- aetheogamous (botany)