Meanings
noungametophyte (plural gametophytes)
plural gametophytes
- biologyA plant (or the haploid phase in its life cycle) which produces gametes by mitosis in order to produce a zygote.
In liverworts like Marchantia, which lives in most soggy places worldwide, the gametophyte is the dominant phase – the thing you would think of as the plant.
2018 May 25, Susannah Lydon, The Guardian
Origin
From gameto- + -phyte (“plant”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque gametofito
- gametofitoplant which produces gametes
Dutch gametofyt
- gametofytplant which produces gametes
Finnish gametofyytti
- gametofyyttiplant which produces gametes
French gamétophyte
- gamétophyteplant which produces gametes
German Gametophyt
- Gametophytplant which produces gametes
Hungarian gametofiton, ivaros szakasz
- gametofitonplant which produces gametes
- ivaros szakaszplant which produces gametes
- ivaros nemzedékplant which produces gametes
Italian gametofito
- gametofitoplant which produces gametes
Portuguese gametófito
- gametófitoplant which produces gametes
Spanish gametofito, gametófito
- gametofitoplant which produces gametes
- gametófitoplant which produces gametes
Cite this entry
APA
gametophyte. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gametophyte
MLA
“gametophyte.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gametophyte. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gametophyte,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gametophyte.
Source: gametophyte on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.