1. A type of simple dry fruit in which the seed coat is fused to the fruit wall, characteristic of grasses and cereals.
Usage: botanical term; also called a grain

Examples

• Wheat, rice, and corn each produce a caryopsis as their fruit.
• The caryopsis of a grass plant contains a single seed enclosed in a protective husk.
• Botanists classify the caryopsis as a specialized type of achene.
• When you eat a grain of rice, you are consuming the caryopsis of the rice plant.
• The hard outer layer of a caryopsis helps protect the developing seed inside.