Protandrous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing an organism or flower that matures its male reproductive parts before its female parts during its life cycle
2. Having male sex cells ready to be released earlier in development than female ones, a timing common in certain plants and animals
3. Of a hermaphrodite or bloom whose pollen or sperm matures ahead of its ova, helping to prevent self-fertilization

Etymology: "Protandrous" describes organisms, such as certain flowers, fish, and invertebrates, that mature as males before they can function as females. The word is built from Greek roots: "pro" meaning "before" or "first," and "andros," the genitive of "anēr," meaning "man" or "male." The "-ous" ending is the common English adjective suffix, so the whole term literally means something like "male-first." The contrast term "protogynous," meaning female-first, is built on the same pattern using "gynē," the Greek word for "woman." Together the pair gives biologists a precise vocabulary for sequential hermaphroditism, a reproductive strategy in which an individual changes sex during its life rather than being both sexes at once.

Antonyms: protogynous