embryo sac

noun

plural embryo sacs
: the female gametophyte of a flowering plant consisting of a thin-walled sac within the nucellus that contains the egg nucleus and two polar nuclei which give rise to the endosperm on fertilization
Pollination involves the processes of pollen capture by the stigma, hydration, and pollen tube growth … to place the sperm cells they carry in the embryo sac in the ovule.L. C. Sanders and E. M. Lord

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of embryo sac was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near embryo sac

Cite this Entry

“Embryo sac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embryo%20sac. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

embryo sac

noun
: the individual that produces female germ cells in the sexually reproducing generation of a flowering plant and that consists of a thin-walled sac containing the egg nucleus and other nuclei which form tissue used for food upon fertilization

More from Merriam-Webster on embryo sac

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!