cotyledon

noun/ˌkɑt̬əˈliːdən/

Frequency rank: #19,877 most common English word

Meaning

The first leaf or pair of leaves produced by a germinating seed, providing stored food for the young plant.

Illustration for the English word “cotyledon”

Example sentence

The seedling's first visible structure was its cotyledon, which stored nutrients to fuel early growth.

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