Spermophytes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of plants that reproduce through seeds and include angiosperms and gymnosperms
2. organisms belonging to the plant kingdom that have well-developed systems for seed formation
3. a classification category for vascular plants that encompass all seed-bearing species

Etymology: "Spermophytes" is the plural of "spermophyte", and the word is built from two Greek-derived pieces: "spermo-", from Greek "sperma" meaning seed, and "-phyte", from Greek "phyton" meaning plant. Put together, the name describes plants that reproduce by seeds, a grouping that sets them apart from ferns, mosses and other plants that spread by spores. Because the parts are transparent, the word is a technical coinage rather than something that passed down through ordinary speech. The "-phyte" ending appears in many modern botanical and biological terms, such as "epiphyte" (a plant growing on another plant) and "hydrophyte" (a water plant), which is why the element is so easy to recognise. The plural form simply names the whole group at once.

Synonyms: seed plants, spermatophytes