group of plants comprising mosses and liverworts, 1875, from Modern Latin Bryophyta (1864), from bryo- "moss" + -phyte "plant" (n.).
Entries linking to bryophyte
bryo-
word-forming element meaning "moss" in scientific compounds, from Greek bryos, bryon "moss."
-phyte
word-forming element meaning "plant, plant characteristic; planting, growth; abnormal growth," from Greek phyton "plant," literally "that which has grown," from phyein "to bring forth, make grow," from PIE root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow."