Definition of "cotyledon" []

• Botany A leaf of the embryo of a seed plant, which upon germination either remains in the seed or emerges, enlarges, and becomes green. Also called seed leaf. (noun)
• Anatomy One of the lobules constituting the uterine side of the mammalian placenta, consisting mainly of a rounded mass of villi. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""Eugene," Edith said, in the manner of a classic advertising campaign, "as long as you're up -- will you look up the definition of the word cotyledon?""
• "Called a cotyledon, this mutated umbilical cord feeds the baby plant."
• "It is called a cotyledon if there is but one portion, cotyledons if two."