liverwort

[ liv-er-wurt, -wawrt ]
/ ˈlɪv ərˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

noun

any mosslike plant of the class Hepaticae, growing chiefly on damp ground, rocks, or on tree trunks and helping the decay of logs and the disintegration of rocks.

Origin of liverwort

before 1100; Middle English; late Old English liferwyrt. See liver1, wort2

Words nearby liverwort

livermore, livermorium, liverpolitan, liverpool, liverpudlian, liverwort, liverwurst, livery, livery colors, livery company, livery cupboard

Example sentences from the Web for liverwort

British Dictionary definitions for liverwort

liverwort
/ (ˈlɪvəˌwɜːt) /

noun

any bryophyte plant of the phylum Hepatophyta, growing in wet places and resembling green seaweeds or leafy mosses See also scale moss

Word Origin for liverwort

late Old English liferwyrt

Scientific definitions for liverwort

liverwort
[ lĭv′ər-wûrt′, -wôrt′ ]

Any of numerous small, green nonvascular plants of the division Marchantiophyta. Many liverworts reproduce asexually by means of gemmae. They also reproduce sexually, and their free-swimming sperm, produced in structures called antheridia, require liquid water, such as splashing raindrops, to reach the egg-producing archegonia. After fertilization, the small sporophyte grows directly on or in the gametophyte and is nourished by it. Liverworts are common in the tropics and often grow in moist soil, on damp rocks, and on tree trunks. Some liverworts have leafy bodies, while others have only a simple thallus. The name liverwort comes from the liverlike shape of the thalli of some species. See more at bryophyte.