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Definition of "endosperm" [en•do•sperm]

  • The nutritive tissue within seeds of flowering plants, surrounding and absorbed by the embryo. (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.

Use "endosperm" in a sentence
  • "The endosperm is more finely ground, but the germ and bran are ground separately and coarser and then it is all brought back together."
  • "The endosperm is the food store for the developing seedling."
  • "Popcorn pops because the pericarp is strong enough to hold in the steam created when the endosperm, which is 14.5 percent water, is heated — strong enough, that is, until the steam reaches 177 degrees C. and the pressure builds to 9.5 kilograms per square centimeter."