mericarp

9.9

A part of a fruit that splits off and holds one seed

noun
/ˈmɛrɪˌkɑrp/

Specialized

: mericarpio

Each mericarp contains a single seed and separates from its partner at maturity.

Examples

In fennel, the fruit splits into two mericarps when ripe.
The scientist examined the mericarp to understand how seeds disperse from the plant.
The mericarp of the fruit is often overlooked.
Each mericarp contains a single seed.
In fennel, the fruit splits into two mericarps when ripe.
Each mericarp contains a single seed and separates from its partner at maturity.
The scientist examined the mericarp to understand how seeds disperse from the plant.

Surface Forms

mericarp singular

mericarpes plural

Morphology

mericarp = meri + carp

The elements are technical Greek combining forms ('meri-' = part, '-carp' = fruit) that are not productive or familiar to average learners, so the meaning cannot be derived from known English base words.

Etymology

Mericarp comes from the Greek roots meris 'part' and karpos 'fruit', so a mericarp is literally a 'fruit part' that splits off and usually holds a single seed.