Dioecious
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /daɪ̯ˈiːʃəs/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Dioecious is an adjective meaning (zoology, rare) Having two distinct sexes.
Meaning
(zoology, rare) Having two distinct sexes.
More Meanings
- (botany) Having the male and female reproductive organs on separate plants (of the same species) rather than different parts of the same plant.
Example Sentences
Most plants are hermaphrodite, even if some of them (hazel, for example) keep their male and female flowers apart. But some plants are dioecious, i.e. they have separate sexes. Some of our most familiar wild plants, such as nettle and red campion, are dioecious. If your holly never has any berries, that's probably because it's a male.
Word Forms
- dioicous
Synonyms for dioecious
Depending on context, synonyms include gonochoristic, dioecian.
Antonyms for dioecious
Common opposites include monoecious, synoecious, monecious.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include dioecian, dioicous, dioeceous, diecious, monoecious, synoecious.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.