(ˌ)dīˌkäd. ə ləˈdōnēˌē noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, alteration of Dicotyledones, from di- + cotyledones, plural of cotyledon
: a subclass of Angiospermae comprising seed plants (as cactuses and oaks) that produce an embryo with two cotyledons and have net-veined leaves, stems with secondary thickening resulting in annual ring formation in woody perennials, and floral organs usually arranged in cycles of four or five, including most of the deciduous woody plants of temperate climates and the majority of herbaceous flowering plants, and commonly being divided into Archichlamydeae and Metachlamydeae — compare monocotyledoneae