See also: cotylédon

English

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Structure of the placenta, with a placental cotyledon marked in rectangle.
 
Mimosa pudica seedling with two cotyledons and the first "true" leaf with six leaflets.

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cotyledon (plural cotyledons)

  1. (physiology) Each of the patches of villi on the foetal chorion in the placenta of ruminants and some other mammals.
    • 1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 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

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(botany): seed leaf

Derived terms

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Translations

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