Eudicots

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A classification of flowering plants known for having two cotyledons, complex flower parts, and netted leaf venation
2. This group of angiosperms is defined by the presence of two seed leaves, diverse floral arrangements, and distinctive leaf vein patterns
3. A category of flowering plants characterized by the development of two seed leaves, intricate arrangements of flowers, and a network of veins in the leaves

Etymology: "Eudicots" is the plural of "eudicot", a term for one of the two great branches of flowering plants. The "dicot" half is older and simpler: "dicotyledon" combines Greek "di-", meaning two, with "kotylēdōn", a word for a cup-shaped cavity, because the seedlings of these plants emerge with two seed leaves, or cotyledons, that look like cups. The "eu-" prefix is the twist. In Greek it means "good" or "well", and botanists attached it to "dicot" to pick out a group they regarded as the true or most refined members of that branch. The full form, "eudicotyledon", is a New Latin coinage, so the word was built by modern scientists from classical parts rather than used by ancient Greeks. The short form "eudicot" is probably a back-formation, meaning it was created by trimming the longer term down to a shorter one. Its exact origin is uncertain, but the logic is clear: once "eudicotyledon" became cumbersome in everyday technical writing, the shorter form took its place.