Meaning & use

dehisce

verb·Advanced

To split open along a natural or surgical line, especially describing a seed pod, fruit, or healing wound.

See it in a sentence

The pea pods dehisced in the summer heat, scattering their seeds across the garden.

The surgeon monitored the incision closely after it began to dehisce.

A note on using this word

Dehisce is a technical term used mainly in botany, for seed pods and anthers, and in medicine, for a wound that reopens along its suture line.

Words with a similar meaning

split openburst open

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