What does achene mean?
An achene is a small, dry, one-seeded fruit that does not split open when ripe, produced from a single carpel by many flowering plants. Familiar examples include the individual 'seeds' of a sunflower head and the tiny specks dotting the surface of a strawberry — each of which is technically its own fruit. Because it is indehiscent, meaning it never opens along a seam, the achene releases its contents only when the fruit wall decays or is broken, often relying on wind, water, animals, or mechanical dispersal. The word belongs chiefly to botany, appearing in floras, textbooks, and field guides, where distinguishing achene types helps identify plant families. Its plural is achenes. Though rarely heard outside scientific contexts, the term offers a neat reminder that everyday 'seeds' are frequently something more surprising: complete, self-contained fruits.
nounA small, dry, one-seeded fruit that does not split open at maturity, formed from a single carpel, as in the sunflower or buttercup.
- A small, dry, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit derived from a single carpel, typical of plants in the buttercup, sunflower, and rose families.
"Each tiny achene on the dandelion's head carries a tuft of hairs that lets it drift on the wind."
"The botanist examined each achene under the microscope to count the hairs on its surface."
"Sunflower heads contain hundreds of achenes, each enclosing a single seed."
Standard regular plural; used freely in botanical writing.
"The receptacle was crowded with hundreds of tiny achenes."
The strawberry's 'seeds' aren't seeds at all — each one is an individual achene, a complete little fruit studding the outside of a swollen flower base.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of achene
The word achene entered English in the early 19th century, borrowed from French achaîne, which was coined from Greek elements: the prefix a- meaning 'not' and chaínein, 'to gape or yawn'. The name thus literally means 'not gaping', a reference to the fact that this type of fruit never splits open at maturity. The same Greek verb underlies words such as chasm and chaos, which share the root sense of a yawning gap.
How achene is actually used
Strictly a technical term of botany, used mainly in scientific descriptions and field guides rather than everyday speech. The plural is achenes.
Easily confused with achene
A caryopsis is the grain-like fruit of grasses such as wheat and maize, in which the seed coat is fused to the fruit wall, whereas an achene's seed is freely attached inside the pericarp.