noun
- the first leaves that appear when a seed germinates, which contain stored food for the developing plant
Usage: botanical term; plural of cotyledon
Examples
- The bean seedling’s cotyledons emerged from the soil first.
- Cotyledons provide nutrients to the young plant until true leaves develop.
- Monocots have one cotyledon while dicots have two cotyledons.
- The cotyledons withered as the plant’s true leaves took over photosynthesis.
- Students observed how the cotyledons differed from the plant’s later leaves.
- The gardener noticed the cotyledons were much thicker than regular leaves.