dehiscence means opening of an organ by its own means (such as an anther or a seed pod) to release its contents.
dehiscence is pronounced /dɪˈhɪsəns/.
Why “dehiscence” is a great word
The spontaneous opening of a mature plant structure, such as a seed pod or anther, along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents, or a similar bursting open, as of a surgical wound. From New Latin *dehiscentia* (used by Linnaeus), from Latin *dehiscentem*, the present participle of *dehiscō* ("to split open, gape"), itself from *de-* ("apart") + *hiscō* ("to gape, open"). Unlike a rupture, which suggests a violent failure from unmanageable pressure, or a fissure, a mere static crack, dehiscence is a programmed and patient unfurling. It is the dry pod of a poppy scattering its seeds like black salt; the silent, pollen-dusted yawn of an anther in morning light; or the slow, dreadful parting of a sutured wound beneath the skin—each a small, necessary violence written into the architecture of the thing itself, as if the purpose of holding together were always, finally, to let go.
Etymology
From New Latin dehiscentia (in Linnaeus), from Latin dehiscentem, present participle of dehiscō. By surface analysis, dehisce + -ence.
noun
- Opening of an organ by its own means (such as an anther or a seed pod) to release its contents.
- A rupture, as with a surgical wound opening up, often with a flow of serous fluid.
- Opening, gaping, in a general sense.
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