pteridophyte

UK: /ˈtɛrɪdəʊˌfaɪt/ US: (tə rid′ə fīt′, ter′i dō-)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pte•rid•o•phyte  (tə rid′ə fīt′, ter′i dō-), n. 

1. Plant Biology any plant of the division Pteridophyta, characterized by vascular tissue and differentiation into root, stem, and leaves, comprising the ferns, horsetails, and club mosses.

• Neo-Latin Pteridophyta; see pterido-, -phyte
• 1875–80;

pte•rid•o•phyt•ic  (tə rid′ə fit′ik, ter′i dō-), pter•i•doph•y•tous  (ter′i dof′i təs), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pteridophyte / ˈtɛrɪdəʊˌfaɪt/ noun

1. (in traditional classification) any plant of the division Pteridophyta, reproducing by spores and having vascular tissue, roots, stems, and leaves: includes the ferns, horsetails, and club mosses. In modern classifications these plants are placed in separate phyla

Etymology: 19th Century: from pterido-, from Greek pteris fern + -phyte