Cotyledon

A cotyledon is an embryonic leaf in a seed plant. During germination, it may store food reserves or transfer nutrients from seed tissues to the developing seedling.

Seed germination: The process by which a seed resumes growth and develops into a seedling. Germination is when cotyledons supply or transfer resources to the growing embryo.
Monocotyledon: A flowering plant whose embryo typically has one cotyledon. Monocots contrast with dicots in having a single embryonic seed leaf.
Seedling: A young plant developing from a germinated seed. Cotyledon number and persistence are visible features used to describe seedlings.
Plant embryo: The young plant contained within a seed, including its shoot, root, and cotyledons. Cotyledons are organs of the seed’s developing plant embryo.
Endosperm: A seed tissue that stores nutrients and nourishes the developing plant embryo. In many seeds, cotyledons absorb nutrients from the endosperm and pass them to the embryo.
Eudicot: A major flowering-plant group whose embryos typically have two cotyledons. Eudicot embryos commonly begin with a pair of cotyledons.
Seed anatomy: The structures of a seed, including its embryo, food stores, and protective coverings. Cotyledons are part of the embryo and may also serve as the seed’s main food store.
Seed coat: The protective outer covering of a seed. The seed coat encloses the embryo and its cotyledons until germination.
Seed leaves: The first leaves produced by a plant embryo, often emerging or functioning during germination. Cotyledons are the embryonic form of a plant’s first leaves.
Coleoptile: A protective sheath surrounding the emerging shoot in grasses and other monocots. Unlike a cotyledon, the coleoptile protects the shoot rather than serving as a seed leaf.

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