Meanings
plural archaeophytes · alternative archæophyte · alternative archeophyte
- biologyA plant which was introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E. (but especially in prehistoric times).
N. Eur. an archæophyte, following the cereals, Færoes one place, but here noticed with an interval of 30 years.
Monographs on Greenland
1934, Meddelelser om Grønland [Monographs on Greenland], volume 92, Copenhagen: C. A. Reitzels Forlag, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 185 more examples
[page 126] Archæophytes (Rikli), plants which have occurred constantly with us since pre-historic times, originally, however, growing wild nowhere in the country, field and garden weeds, […] [page 127] Further, the flora of the cultivated areas consists of a very heterogeneous element, e.g., the field weed flora is composed of at least two groups, the true Archæophytes […] and the spontaneous Apophytes […]
1906 April, T[homas] W[illiam] Woodhead, “Classification of Alien Plants according to Origin”, in Thomas Sheppard, Thomas William Woodhead, editors, The Naturalist: A Monthly Illustrated Journal of Natural History for the North of England, number 369 (number 591 overall), London; Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire: A. Brown & Sons, […], →OCLC, pages 126–127Anthropochorous plants are divided into (a) those introduced unintentionally, including ephemerophytes (casuals), epoikophytes (colonists, aliens) and archaeophytes (naturalised plants), and (b) those introduced intentionally, including ergasiphytes (foreign cultivated plants) and ergasiphygophytes (escapes from cultivation).
1913 March, “Swedish Lapland: Simmons, H. G. ‘Die Flora und Vegetation von Kiruna im schwedischen Lappland.’ Engler’s Bot. Jahrb., 48, 1912, pp. 1–86, 6 plates.”, in The Journal of Ecology, volume I, number 1, London: Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISSN, →JSTOR, →OCLC, page 65It may be doubtful whether the three species first mentioned should more properly be regarded as archæophytes, since they also occur outside the actually cultivated soil; […]
1931, C[arl] H[ansen] Ostenfeld, The Distribution within Denmark of the Higher Plants: Results of the Topographic-botanical Investigation: 1: A Brief Historical Survey of the Investigation (Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabs Selskabs Skrifter, Naturvidenskabelig og Mathematisk Afdeling [Publications of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, Department of Natural Science and Mathematics]; vol. 9, number 3(1)), Copenhagen: Andr[eas] Fred[erik] Høst & Søn, […], →OCLCCarduus acanthoides […] In Central Bohemia an archeophyte growing in a variety of ruderal habitats (dumps, railroads, construction areas, waste places), in pastures, and abandoned fields.
1990, J. Osbornová, “Abandoned Fields in the Region”, in J. Osbornová, M. Kovářová, J. Lepš, and J, Prach, editors, Succession in Abandoned Fields: Studies in Central Bohemia, Czechoslovakia (Geobotany; 15), Dordrecht; Boston, Mass.: Kluwer Academic Publishers, →DOI, →ISBN, page 19, column 1[A]rcheophytes are adapted to habitat types created early in history, including pastures, fields, and their edges; many of the neophytes, on the other hand, occur predominantly in ruderal, industrial, and urban habitats. […] [T]he proportion of neophytes is much higher in the flora of Berlin than in adjacent non-urban areas, but no difference was found for archeophytes.
1999, H[erbert] Sukopp, U[we] Starfinger, “Disturbance in Urban Ecosystems”, in Lawrence R. Walker, editor, Ecosystems of Disturbed Ground (Ecosystems of the World; 16), Amsterdam; Lausanne: Elsevier, →ISBN, page 405, column 1Antonyms: neophyte
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA plant which was introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E. (but especially in prehistoric times).
Origin
- Ancient Greekφῠτόν“plant; tree”
- Ancient Greekἀρχαῖος“ancient, primeval”
- Englisharchaeophyte
From archaeo- (“ancient; early”) + -phyte (“a plant that grows in a specified habitat”). Archaeo- is derived from Ancient Greek ἀρχαῖος (arkhaîos, “ancient, primeval”), from ᾰ̓ρχή (ărkhḗ, “beginning, origin”) (from ἄρχω (árkhō, “to begin; to command, rule”) + -ῐος (-ĭos, “suffix forming adjectives”); while -phyte is from Ancient Greek φῠτόν (phŭtón, “plant; tree”), from φῠ́ω (phŭ́ō, “to arise, grow, spring up”) + -ον (-on, “suffix forming nouns”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan arqueòfit
- arqueòfitplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Dutch archeofyt
- archeofytplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Esperanto arĥeofito, malnovplanto
- arĥeofitoplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
- malnovplantoplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Estonian arheofüüt, ürgtulnukas
- arheofüütplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
- ürgtulnukasplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Finnish arkeofyytti, muinaistulokas
- arkeofyyttiplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
- muinaistulokasplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
German Archäophyt
- Archäophytplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Greek αρχαιόφυτα
- αρχαιόφυτα (archaiófyta)plant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Latin archaeophytum
- archaeophytumplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Polish archeofit
- archeofitplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Russian археофит
- археофит (arxeofit)plant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Spanish arqueófito
- arqueófitoplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Swedish arkeofyt
- arkeofytplant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Ukrainian археофіт
- археофіт (arxeofit)plant introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E.
Cite this entry
archaeophyte. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/archaeophyte
“archaeophyte.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/archaeophyte. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “archaeophyte,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/archaeophyte.
Source: archaeophyte on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.