Meanings
plural achenes · alternative achaenium · alternative achenium · alternative akene
- biologyA small, dry, indehiscent fruit, containing a single seed, as in the buttercup.
The mulberry puts forth its messy clusters of achenes.
2018, Richard Powers, The Overstory, Vintage (2019), page 37Synonyms: achenium, spermidium, naked seed
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small, dry, indehiscent fruit, containing a single seed, as in the buttercup.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἀ-“a-”
- New Latinachena
- Frenchachène
- Englishachene
From French achène and its source, New Latin achena, from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “a-”) + χαίνω (khaínō, “to gape”).
More words from French, New Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan aqueni
- aquenismall dry fruit
Czech nažka
- nažkasmall dry fruit
Dutch dopvrucht
- dopvruchtsmall dry fruit
Esperanto akeno
- akenosmall dry fruit
Finnish pähkylä
- pähkyläsmall dry fruit
French akène
- akènesmall dry fruit
German Achäne, Nüsschen
- Achänesmall dry fruit
- Nüsschensmall dry fruit
Hungarian kaszat
- kaszatsmall dry fruit
Irish aicéin
- aicéinsmall dry fruit
Italian achenio
- acheniosmall dry fruit
Korean 수과
- 수과 (sugwa)small dry fruit
Norwegian akene
- akenesmall dry fruit
Persian فندقه
- فندقه (fandoqe)small dry fruit
Polish niełupka
- niełupkasmall dry fruit
Portuguese aquênio, aquénio
- aquêniosmall dry fruit
- aquéniosmall dry fruit
Romanian achenă
- achenăsmall dry fruit
Russian семя́нка
- семя́нка (semjánka)small dry fruit
Spanish aquenio
- aqueniosmall dry fruit
Swedish nötfrukt
- nötfruktsmall dry fruit
Tagalog binhimbunga
- binhimbungasmall dry fruit
Turkish aken
- akensmall dry fruit
Welsh achen
- achensmall dry fruit
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with achene
Anagrams
Cite this entry
achene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/achene
“achene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/achene. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “achene,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/achene.
Source: achene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.