cotyledon
noun/ˌkɒtɪˈliːdn/
/ˌkɑːtɪˈliːdn/
(specialist)- a part inside a seed that looks like a small leaf, which the developing plant uses as a store of food. Cotyledons are the first parts of the seed to appear above the ground when it begins to grow.Topics Plants and treesc2Word Originmid 16th cent. (denoting a patch of villi on the placenta of mammals): from Latin, ‘navelwort’ (which has cup-shaped leaves), from Greek kotulēdōn ‘cup-shaped cavity’, from kotulē ‘cup’.
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cotyledon