Bryophyte
/ˈbraɪ.oʊ.faɪt/noun
A nonvascular plant such as a moss, liverwort, or hornwort.
Did you know?Bryophyte was coined in modern scientific Latin from Greek roots, and the same ancient Greek word for “moss” also lives on in the name of the lichen genus Bryum.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
βρύον (brýon)
“moss, something moss-like”
Ancient Greek
Greek
φυτόν (phytón)
“plant, growth”
19th Century
New Latin
bryophyta
“a group of moss-like plants”
Modern English
English
bryophyte
“a nonvascular plant such as a moss, liverwort, or hornwort”
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