cotyledon

/ˌkɒt.ɪˈliː.dən/

//ˌkɒt.ɪˈliː.dən// noun

"cotyledon" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cotyledon” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Each of the patches of villi on the foetal chorion in the placenta of ruminants and some other mammals.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cotyledon · cotyledon · English

cotyledon · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for cotyledon
PropertyValue
Headwordcotyledon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒt.ɪˈliː.dən/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cotyledon” in English

cotyledonranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cotyledon is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkɒt.ɪˈliː.dən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

cotyledon doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin cotylēdōn, from Ancient Greek κοτυληδών (kotulēdṓn, “cup-shaped cavity”), from κοτύλη (kotúlē, “cup”). The correct English form is cotyledon, spelled C-O-T-Y-L-E-D-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Each of the patches of villi on the foetal chorion in the placenta of ruminants and some other mammals.
  2. 2
    The leaf of the embryo of a seed-bearing plant; after germination it becomes the first leaves of the seedling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how cotyledon appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Forced to apply animal findings to humans, his human womb also had cotyledons like a dog's.

Etymology

From Latin cotylēdōn, from Ancient Greek κοτυληδών (kotulēdṓn, “cup-shaped cavity”), from κοτύλη (kotúlē, “cup”).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cotyledon"?
"cotyledon" is spelled C-O-T-Y-L-E-D-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒt.ɪˈliː.dən/.
What does "cotyledon" mean?
As a noun, "cotyledon" means: Each of the patches of villi on the foetal chorion in the placenta of ruminants and some other mammals.
How do you pronounce "cotyledon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cotyledon" is /ˌkɒt.ɪˈliː.dən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "cotyledon"?
From Latin cotylēdōn, from Ancient Greek κοτυληδών (kotulēdṓn, “cup-shaped cavity”), from κοτύλη (kotúlē, “cup”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list