elaiosome

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elaiosome

Where it comes from

Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil”) + σῶμα (sôma, “body”).

noun elaiosomes

A fleshy structure rich in lipids attached to the seeds of many plant species, usually to attract ants that disperse the seeds. Ants collect the diaspores for the edible elaiosome, carry them to their nests and consume the elaiosomes. Sometimes, the elaiosome content is sucked from the diaspores, or the elaiosome is loosened on the way to the nest.

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MLA

"elaiosome." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/elaiosome. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

elaiosome. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/elaiosome

Chicago

"elaiosome." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/elaiosome.

BibTeX

@misc{elaiosome_2026,
  title = {elaiosome},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/elaiosome},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}