Elaiosome

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A fleshy structure rich in lipids attached to the seeds of many plant species, usually to attract ants that disperse the seeds.

    "Ants collect the diaspores for the edible elaiosome, carry them to their nests and consume the elaiosomes. Sometimes, the elaiosome content is sucked from the diaspores, or the elaiosome is loosened on the way to the nest."

Synonyms

All synonyms
carunclecaruncle

Example

More examples

"Ants collect the diaspores for the edible elaiosome, carry them to their nests and consume the elaiosomes. Sometimes, the elaiosome content is sucked from the diaspores, or the elaiosome is loosened on the way to the nest."

Etymology

Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil”) + σῶμα (sôma, “body”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.