noun
- A type of legume fruit (pod) that breaks apart into single-seeded segments when mature.
Usage: botanical term; also called a loment
Examples
- The lomentum of the peanut plant contains two or three seeds in a papery shell.
- Botanists classify the fruit of certain legumes as a lomentum because it segments naturally.
- The lomentum breaks apart into individual seed compartments when it dries.
- Many wild legumes produce a lomentum as their characteristic fruit type.