Gametophyte
/ɡəˈmiːtəfaɪt/noun
The haploid generation or phase in a plant or alga that produces gametes.
Did you know?Its first element comes from Ancient Greek γαμετή, meaning “wife” or “married woman,” while its counterpart, sporophyte, produces spores rather than gametes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵemh₂-
“To marry or unite in marriage”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γάμος (gámos)
“Marriage or wedding”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γαμετής / γαμετή (gametēs / gametē)
“Husband or wife; a married person”
Ancient Greek
Greek
φυτόν (phytón)
“A plant or something that has grown”
19th Century
Scientific English
gamete + -phyte
“A plant form associated with gamete production”
1884
English
gametophyte
“The sexual, gamete-producing generation of a plant”