achene

achene

English

Alternative forms

• achaenium, achenium, achenocarp
• (alternative spelling) akene

Etymology

From French akène and its source, Latin achena, from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “a-”) + χαίνω (khaínō, “to gape”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈkiːn/

Noun

achene (plural achenes)

1. (botany) A small, dry, indehiscent fruit, containing a single seed, as in the buttercup.

Usage notes

Early botanists referred to achenes as naked seeds.

Derived terms

• polyachene

Translations

small dry fruit

Catalan: aqueni m Czech: nažka f Dutch: dopvrucht Esperanto: akeno Finnish: pähkylä (fi) French: akène (fr) m German: Achäne (de) f; genera Fragaria and Rosa: Nüsschen (de) n Irish: aicéin f Italian: achenio m Lombard: achénio m

Persian: فندقه‎ (fa) (fandoqe) Polish: niełupka (pl) f Portuguese: aquênio (pt) m, aquénio (pt) m Romanian: achenă (ro) f Russian: семя́нка (ru) f (semjánka) Spanish: aquenio (es) m Swedish: nötfrukt c Tagalog: binhimbunga Turkish: aken (tr)

Further reading

• achene in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• achene at OneLook Dictionary Search