mec·o·nid·i·um \ˌmekəˈnidēəm\noun (pluralmeconid·ia \-dēə\) Etymology: New Latin, from Greek mēkōn poppy + New Latin -idium; from the resemblance to the seed capsule of the poppy : a gonophore produced by some hydroids that resembles a medusa and remains attached by a pedicel