dioecious
adjective
di·oe·cious
(ˌ)dī-ˈē-shəs 
1
: having male reproductive organs in one individual and female in another
2
: having staminate and pistillate flowers borne on different individuals
Examples of dioecious in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the manner of dioecious plants generally — from pistachio trees to date palms — jojoba is wind-pollinated.
—
Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2024
But the general behavioral point is rooted in realities of anatomy and life-history; in many dioecious species males and females exhibit a great deal of biological and behavioral dimorphism.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2010
Wild grapes are dioecious; plants are male or female.
—Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2016
Date palms are dioecious, meaning that trees are either male or female — females are treated with pollen from the male plants.
—Christian Reynoso, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2021
The ginkgo tree is dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees.
—Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, 27 Sep. 2020
Hollies are dioecious, Lorimer added, meaning there are separate male and female plants.
—BostonGlobe.com, 5 Dec. 2019
Ryan Nelson of Western Springs misspelled dioecious in the second round.
—Chuck Fieldman, chicagotribune.com, 31 May 2018
Willows are dioecious; that is, male trees produce only male flowers, and female trees produce only female flowers.
—Dave Taft, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2018
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2024
But the general behavioral point is rooted in realities of anatomy and life-history; in many dioecious species males and females exhibit a great deal of biological and behavioral dimorphism.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2010
Wild grapes are dioecious; plants are male or female.
—Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2016
Date palms are dioecious, meaning that trees are either male or female — females are treated with pollen from the male plants.
—Christian Reynoso, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2021
The ginkgo tree is dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees.
—Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, 27 Sep. 2020
Hollies are dioecious, Lorimer added, meaning there are separate male and female plants.
—BostonGlobe.com, 5 Dec. 2019
Ryan Nelson of Western Springs misspelled dioecious in the second round.
—Chuck Fieldman, chicagotribune.com, 31 May 2018
Willows are dioecious; that is, male trees produce only male flowers, and female trees produce only female flowers.
—Dave Taft, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2018
Dictionary Entries Near dioecious
Cite this Entry
“Dioecious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dioecious. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share