dehisce

de·hisce
D2E1H4I1S1C3E1
/dɪˈhɪs/

verb

To burst or split open at definite places, discharging seeds, pollen or similar content.

“Anthers dehisce when the flower opens.”

OriginLatin dehīscō →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

verbdehisce (third-person singular simple present dehisces, present participle dehiscing, simple past and past participle dehisced)

present singular third person dehisces · participle present dehiscing · participle past dehisced · past dehisced

  1. intransitivebiologyTo burst or split open at definite places, discharging seeds, pollen or similar content.

    Anthers dehisce when the flower opens.

  2. intransitivemedicineTo rupture or break open, as a surgical wound.

    A surgical wound may partially or completely dehisce after surgery, depending upon whether some or all of the layers of tissue come open.

Origin

  1. Latindehīscō
  2. Latindehīscō
  3. Englishdehisce

Borrowed from Latin dehīscō (“to gape, open”), from hiō (“to be open”); related to hiatus.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Esperanto dehiski, dehiski
  • dehiski(botany) burst or split open
  • dehiski(medicine) rupture or break open
French déhiscer, déhiscer
  • déhiscer(botany) burst or split open
  • déhiscer(medicine) rupture or break open
Russian раскрываться, растрескиваться
  • раскрываться (raskryvatʹsja)(botany) burst or split open
  • растрескиваться (rastreskivatʹsja)(botany) burst or split open
  • раскрываться (raskryvatʹsja)(medicine) rupture or break open
  • растрескиваться (rastreskivatʹsja)(medicine) rupture or break open

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with dehisce

thisChrisswisskissdisLuiscisvisblissbisdismisssufficedissabysstriscrishissaniseamissbrisremissprissarrisciss
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

dehisce. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dehisce

MLA

“dehisce.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dehisce. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dehisce,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dehisce.

Source: dehisce on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.