Spermophyte
/ˈspɜːr.mə.faɪt/noun
A seed-bearing plant, especially a flowering plant or gymnosperm.
Did you know?The first element comes from Greek *sperma* (“seed”), the same root behind *sperm*, *spore*, and *spawn*—a reminder that in old language, life itself was imagined as something cast forth.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
σπέρμα (sperma)
“seed; something sown”
Ancient Greek
Greek
φυτόν (phyton)
“plant; a grown thing”
19th Century
New Latin
spermophyta
“seed-bearing plants”
19th Century
English
spermophyte
“a seed-bearing plant”