gynoecium

1 9.9

The part in the centre of a flower that makes the seeds

noun
/ˌɡaɪnəˈsiːəm/

Specialized

: ginoceo

In roses, the gynoecium forms the central part of the blossom that produces seeds.

Examples

The gynoecium is composed of several fused carpels in most flowering plants.
Scientists examined the development of the gynoecium under different light conditions.
The gynoecium is crucial.
What is a gynoecium?
In roses, the gynoecium forms the central part of the blossom that produces seeds.
Scientists examined the development of the gynoecium under different light conditions.
The gynoecium is composed of several fused carpels in most flowering plants.

Synonyms

carpel

vsgynoecium

Specialized

1 9.1

The female part of a flower that makes seeds

is the whole female reproductive structure composed of one or more such units

Surface Forms

gynoecium singular

gynoecia plural

Morphology

gynoecium = gyno + oecium

A learned scientific formation from Greek combining forms ('gyno-' + '-oecium') that is not readily analyzable by an average B1 learner, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from the parts.

Etymology

Gynoecium comes from Greek parts gyno- meaning 'woman' and oikos meaning 'house', and the oikos part is the same root you see as 'eco' in eco-friendly. That's a useful picture: the gynoecium is the 'woman's house' of the flower where the female parts sit and seeds form.