Elaiosome
/ɪˈleɪ.əˌsoʊm/noun
A fleshy, oil-rich appendage attached to some seeds that attracts ants, which disperse the seeds.
Did you know?Elaiosomes drive myrmecochory—an ecological seed-dispersal partnership in which ants eat the oily appendage while transporting the living seed.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἔλαιον (élaion)
“Olive oil or oil”
Ancient Greek
Greek
σῶμα (sôma)
“Body or bodily substance”
19th Century
Scientific Greek
ἐλαιόσωμα (elaiósōma)
“A compound meaning “oil body,” formed from oil and body”
1906
Scientific English
elaiosome
“Term introduced for the oily seed appendage involved in ant dispersal”
Modern English
English
elaiosome
“An oil-rich seed appendage that attracts ants and aids seed dispersal”