Crossword clues for elater
elater
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Elater \E*lat"er\, n. One who, or that which, elates. [1913 Webster] ||
Elater \El"a*ter\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? driver, fr. ? to drive.]
(Bot.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the spores, as in some liverworts.
(Zo["o]l.) Any beetle of the family Elaterid[ae], having the habit, when laid on the back, of giving a sudden upward spring, by a quick movement of the articulation between the abdomen and thorax; -- called also click beetle, spring beetle, and snapping beetle.
(Zo["o]l.) The caudal spring used by Podura and related insects for leaping. See Collembola.
Elater \El"a*ter\, n. (Chem.) The active principle of elaterium, being found in the juice of the wild or squirting cucumber ( Ecballium agreste, formerly Motordica Elaterium) and other related species. It is extracted as a bitter, white, crystalline substance, which is a violent purgative.
Wiktionary
Etymology 1 n. That which elates. Etymology 2
n. 1 (context obsolete English) elasticity; especially the expansibility of a gas. 2 (context botany English) A long, slender cell produced among spores and having hygroscopic secondary cell wall thickenings. 3 (context botany English) Any of the long, slender hygroscopic appendages attached to the spores of horsetails (genus ''Equisetum''). 4 (context zoology English) An elaterid, or click beetle.
WordNet
n. any of various widely distributed beetles [syn: elaterid beetle, elaterid]
Wikipedia
An elater is a cell (or structure attached to a cell) that is hygroscopic, and therefore will change shape in response to changes in moisture in the environment. Elaters come in a variety of forms, but are always associated with plant spores. In plants that do not have seeds, they function in dispersing the spores to a new location.
Usage examples of "elater".
In these two genera the elaters are attached to a sterile group of cells projecting into the upper end of the capsule, and on dehiscence remain connected with the tips of the valves.
In some species, although the columella and archesporium arise in the usual way, both give rise to mingled spores and elaters, and no sterile columella is developed.