Etymo

angiosperm

A member of the flowering-plant group.

Played on · Day 56 · word 1 of 5

A container in a plant-group name

How angiosperm reached English

oldest first

Greek

  • angeîon‘Vessel or container’
  • spérma‘Seed’

combined

  1. New Latin

    angiospermus

    ‘Having seeds in a capsule’

    into French

  2. French

    angiosperme

    ‘A plant with seeds enclosed in a capsule’

    into English

  3. English

    angiosperm

    ‘The flowering plant’

The story of angiosperm

Angiosperm comes from a French plant noun based on an adjective borrowed from New Latin. That adjective, angiospermus, describes seeds held in a capsule or pericarp.

Angeîon is a noun, container; covered is not its literal gloss. The adjective’s ending -spermos is formed from spérma.

Source

Online Etymology Dictionary: sperm

Sperm: from Greek *sperma* “the seed of plants, also of animals”

Also built on Greek spérma

  • angiosperm, this word
  • sperm

The deeper Greek bases name the container and the seed, while the full adjective describes their relationship.

More words from 31 October 2026

  1. mushroomA fungus with a familiar stalk-and-cap shape.
  2. landscapeVisible scenery or the character of an area.
  3. apocalypseA great disaster; also a revelation.
  4. cucumberA long green fruit commonly served as a vegetable.

Next: today’s words

Every day, everyone gets the same five words.

Play today’s words