Standard Lemma guide

pteridophyte

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /tɪˈɹɪdəˌfaɪt/
  • General-American: /təˈɹɪdəˌfaɪt/
  • General-American: /ˈtɛɹədəˌfaɪt/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any plant of the division Pteridophyta, of simple vascular plants that reproduce via spores rather than seeds and that alternate generations of diploid (sporophyte) and haploid (gametophyte or prothallus) forms, the diploid generally being larger and more conspicuous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Ferns, lycopods, and scouring rushes are all pteridophytes.
  • 1990, A. C. Jermy, Conservation of Ppteridophytes, K.U. Kramer, Klaus Kubitzki, P.S. Green, Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms, page 14, Pteridophytes have evolved to fill almost every ecological niche but the greatest species diversity is clearly found in the tropical rainforest. The rapid disappearance of this biome throughout the world with many of their pteridophyte species yet undiscovered, let alone described, is of great concern.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

plants having vascular tissue and reproducing by spores

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nonflowering plant

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: vascular plant, tracheophyte

Narrower terms: fern, fern ally

History

Etymology

From pterido- (“fern”) + -phyte (“plant”).

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: ptéridophyte — vascular plants that produce spores but not seeds
  • Portuguese: pteridófita — vascular plants that produce spores but not seeds