noun
- thick-walled plant cells that provide structural support and protection, typically found in seed coats, nutshells, and the gritty texture of pears
Usage: botanical; plural form of sclereid
Examples
- The hard shell of a walnut contains numerous sclereids that protect the seed inside.
- Sclereids give pears their characteristic gritty texture when you bite into them.
- Botanists identified clusters of sclereids in the fruit’s tough outer layer.
- The microscope revealed star-shaped sclereids scattered throughout the plant tissue.
- These specialized sclereids help strengthen the plant’s defensive structures.
- The seed coat’s sclereids prevent water from entering until germination conditions are right.