Cryptogam
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Any plant that reproduces using spores (rather than seeds), formerly placed in the taxonomic group Cryptogamae, which included ferns, mosses, algae, fungi, lichens and liverworts.
"1956, George A. Llano, Botanical Research Essential to a Knowledge of Antarctica, A. P. Crary, L. M. Gould, E. O. Hulburt, Hugh Obishaw, Waldo E. Smith (editors), Antarctica in the International Geophysical Year, Geophysical Monograph Number 1, American Geophysical Union, page 124, In the absence of phanerogams, the cryptogams — principally the algae, mosses, and lichens — are the dominant forms of plant life."
- 2 formerly recognized taxonomic group including all flowerless and seedless plants that reproduce by means of spores: ferns, mosses, algae, fungi wordnet
Example
More examples"1956, George A. Llano, Botanical Research Essential to a Knowledge of Antarctica, A. P. Crary, L. M. Gould, E. O. Hulburt, Hugh Obishaw, Waldo E. Smith (editors), Antarctica in the International Geophysical Year, Geophysical Monograph Number 1, American Geophysical Union, page 124, In the absence of phanerogams, the cryptogams — principally the algae, mosses, and lichens — are the dominant forms of plant life."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek κρυπτός (kruptós, “hidden”) + γαμέω (gaméō, “to marry”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.