Aetheogam

Pronunciation

• RP enPR: ā.ēʹthĭōgăm, IPA: /eɪˈiːθɪəʊɡæm/,

Alternative forms

• aëtheogam

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἀήθης ("unusual") + γάμος ("marriage").

“aetheogam” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary 2

nd

1989

Full definition of aetheogam

Noun

1. (botany) A cryptogam; a plant of the obsolete taxonomic class Cryptogamia, having neither stamina nor pistils, and therefore no proper flowers, such as an alga, fern, fungus, lichen or moss.

Usage notes

Being derived from the two vowels ἀή (alpha-eta: aē), rather than the diphthong αἰ (alpha-iota: ai), the initial ae- of aetheogam can only properly be written as two separate letters (ae), with a diaeresis atop the e (as aëtheogam) being optional; the spellings *ætheogam and *etheogam are, therefore, erroneous.

Derived terms

• aetheogamous botany

Synonyms

• cryptogam