anther

The word 'anther' is a modern botanical term derived from the French anthère, which itself originates from the Latin anthera, meaning "a medicine extracted from flowers". This Latin term was borrowed from the Ancient Greek ἀνθηρός (anthērós), meaning "flowery" or "blooming", an adjective formed from ἄνθος (ánthos), the fundamental Greek word for "flower". The semantic journey thus moved from the general concept of "flower" to a specific adjective describing something as "flowery", and finally, through scientific Latin, was narrowed to designate the pollen-bearing, flower-like part of the stamen. The modern English suffix '-er' functions to solidify it as a noun for the specific botanical structure.