meristem

M3E1R1I1S1T1E1M3

noun

The plant tissue composed of totipotent cells that allows plant growth.

OriginGerman Meristem ← Ancient Greek μεριστός →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

nounmeristem (plural meristems)

plural meristems

  1. biologyThe plant tissue composed of totipotent cells that allows plant growth.

    By looking back at a past populated by beings of grotesque difference, humans could place themselves at the apical meristem—the growing tip—of the future.

    2020, Janet Chernela, quotee, “Life Finds A Way”, in Jonathan Elmore, editor, Fiction and the Sixth Mass Extinction, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekμεριστός“divided”
  2. GermanMeristem
  3. Englishmeristem

From German Meristem, from Ancient Greek μεριστός (meristós, “divided”), from μερίζω (merízō), from μέρος (méros) + στέμμα (stémma, “wreath, garland”). First used in 1858 by Swiss botanist Carl Wilhelm von Nägeli (1817–1891).

More words from German, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch meristeem
  • meristeemzone of active cell division
Esperanto meristemo
  • meristemozone of active cell division
Finnish kasvusolukko
  • kasvusolukkozone of active cell division
French méristème
  • méristèmezone of active cell division
German Meristem
  • Meristemzone of active cell division
Greek μερίστωμα
  • μερίστωμα (merístoma)zone of active cell division
Hungarian merisztéma
  • merisztémazone of active cell division
Italian meristema
  • meristemazone of active cell division
Japanese 分裂組織
  • 分裂組織 (bunretsusoshiki)zone of active cell division
Korean 분열조직
  • 분열조직 (bunyeoljojik)zone of active cell division
Persian مریستم, سرلاد
  • مریستم (merīstem)zone of active cell division
  • سرلاد (sarlād)zone of active cell division
Polish tkanka twórcza, merystem
  • tkanka twórczazone of active cell division
  • merystemzone of active cell division
Portuguese meristema
  • meristemazone of active cell division
Romanian meristem
  • meristemzone of active cell division
Spanish meristemo, meristema
  • meristemozone of active cell division
  • meristemazone of active cell division
Tagalog hatianan
  • hatiananzone of active cell division
Turkish meristem
  • meristemzone of active cell division

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

mimestermismeter
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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