a leaf on which the megaspores are formed: corresponds to the carpel of a flowering plant
Compare microsporophyll
Word origin
C20: from mega- + sporophyll
megasporophyll in American English
(ˌmɛgəˈspɔrəˌfɪl)
noun
a sporophyll bearing only megasporangia
megasporophyll in American English
(ˌmeɡəˈspɔrəfɪl, -ˈspour-)
noun
Botany
a sporophyll producing megasporangia only
Word origin
[1895–1900; mega- + sporophyll]This word is first recorded in the period 1895–1900. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: apothecaries' measure, backstage, calling card, hit-and-run, slapstickmega- is a combining form with the meanings “large, great, grand,” “abnormally large,”used in the formation of compound words; it is also the initial element in units ofmeasure that are equal to one million of the units denoted by the base word (megahertz). Other words that use the affix mega- include: megadose, megakaryocyte, megaphone, megaton, megavitamin