noun
- plants that have seeds with a single cotyledon (seed leaf), typically characterized by parallel leaf veins and flower parts in multiples of three
Usage: botanical term; plural form of monocot
Examples
- Grasses, lilies, and orchids are all examples of monocots.
- Monocots typically have fibrous root systems rather than taproots.
- The parallel veins in corn leaves indicate that corn is one of the monocots.
- Botanists classify flowering plants into two main groups: monocots and dicots.
- Palm trees belong to the monocots despite their tree-like appearance.
- Most monocots have flower parts arranged in groups of three or six.