ptychonome

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noun

An enclosure formed (of leaves) by some organisms of the order Lepidoptera; a tentiform mine.

OriginAncient Greek πτυχή →
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Meanings

nounptychonome (plural ptychonomes)

plural ptychonomes

  1. biologyAn enclosure formed (of leaves) by some organisms of the order Lepidoptera; a tentiform mine.

    Larvae of these three genera all form a tentiform mine or ptychonome (Hering 1951).

    1983, Carl Hildebrand Lindroth, Entomologica Scandinavica
    1 more example

    The ptychonome of messaniella containing an Apanteles cocoon is generally recognizable by its large volume, due to an increased maximal distance between the two epidermal layers,

    1962, Hymenoptera reprints: Bradley collection

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπτυχή“fold”
  2. Englishptychonome

From ptycho- (compare ptychography) + (-)nome, from Ancient Greek πτυχή (ptukhḗ, “fold”) + νομός (nomós, “division”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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