Meanings
plural bryophytes
- biologyAny plant of the division Bryophyta, defined sensu lato to comprise the mosses, liverworts and hornworts and corresponding to all embryophytes that are not vascular plants.
2002, William R. Buck, Bryophytes, entry in Niles Eldredge (editor), Life on Earth, page 202, Because of their small size and often delicate structure, bryophytes have a poor fossil record, dating back only about 290 million years.
2 more examples
Without going into their reasons, Bold, Alexopoulos, & DelBevoryas (1980) and Crandall-Stotler (1980) believe that there are at least three independent lines of bryophytes and that this is best reflected by establishing three divisions - the Bryophyta (mosses), Hepatophyta (liverworts), and Anthocerotophyta (hornworts).
1993, Wilson Nichols Stewart, Paleobotany and the Evolution of Plants, page 77And so it was that I was introduced to Len Ellis and the quiet world of bryophytes – mosses to the rest of us.
2003, Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, BCA, published 2003, page 312
Synonyms & antonyms
nounany of numerous plants of the division Bryophyta
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekβρύον“moss”
- translingualBryophyta
- Englishbryophyte
Borrowed from translingual Bryophyta, from Ancient Greek βρύον (brúon, “moss”) + φυτόν (phutón, “plant”) ( + -phyte).
More words from translingual, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian мъх
- мъх (măh)member of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Esperanto briofito, muskoplanto
- briofitomember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
- muskoplantomember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Estonian sammal, sammaltaim
- sammalmember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
- sammaltaimmember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Finnish sammalkasvi, sammal
- sammalkasvimember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
- sammalmember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
French bryophyte
- bryophytemember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
German Moos
- Moosmember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Greek βρύο
- βρύο (vrýo)member of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Polish mszak
- mszakmember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Portuguese briófita
- briófitamember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Romanian briofită
- briofitămember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Spanish briofita, briófito
- briofitamember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
- briófitomember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
- briofitomember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Swedish mossa
- mossamember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Tagalog lumutan
- lumutanmember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Welsh bryoffyt
- bryoffytmember of the Bryophyta; moss, liverwort, or hornwort
Cite this entry
bryophyte. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bryophyte
“bryophyte.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bryophyte. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bryophyte,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bryophyte.
Source: bryophyte on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.