n.
A plant, such as a cycad or conifer, whose seeds are not enclosed within an ovary.
[From New Latin Gymnospermae, class name, from Greek gumnospermos : gumnos, naked + sperma, seed; see sperm1.]
gymnospermous gym'no·sper'mous adj.gymnospermy gym'no·sper'my n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
