Definition

1. Noun:
   • A flowering plant whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. This is one of the two major groups of angiosperms (flowering plants), characterized by this seed structure and often by net-veined leaves and flower parts in multiples of four or five.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The oak tree is a classic example of a dicotyledon.
  • Botanists study the differences between monocotyledons and dicotyledons.
  • The seed of a dicotyledon splits into two parts when it germinates.

Advanced Usage

• "Dicotyledonous" (adjective): Describing plants that are dicotyledons.
  • The dicotyledonous plants in the garden include roses and sunflowers.
• In botanical classification, the term "dicot" is a common informal abbreviation.
  • Many common garden vegetables, like beans and tomatoes, are dicots.

Variants and Related Words

• Dicot (n.): A common, informal shortening of "dicotyledon."
• Dicotyledonous (adj.): Of or pertaining to dicotyledons.
• Monocotyledon (n.): The other major group of flowering plants, whose seeds have a single cotyledon.

Synonyms

• Dicot (informal/botanical shorthand)
• Broad-leaved plant (a descriptive, non-technical term for many dicots, though not all have broad leaves)

Related Terms and Concepts

• Cotyledon (n.): The embryonic leaf in a seed, which is the defining feature; a dicotyledon has two of these.
• Angiosperm (n.): The group of flowering plants that includes both dicotyledons and monocotyledons.
• Vascular bundle arrangement: In dicotyledon stems, these bundles are often arranged in a ring, contributing to the stem growing by deposit on its outside (secondary growth).

Noun

1. flowering plant with two cotyledons; the stem grows by deposit on its outside