Heard spelling

andreecum

Spelled androecium. two changes at once

What does androecium lose when it becomes andreecum?

The o of andro-, the o of oe, and the i before the ending. Three vowels, all unstressed.

That is not carelessness. The stress sits on the second syllable and everything around it thins out, so the ear genuinely receives an-DREE-sum. Writing what the ear receives gives andreecum. The spelling records the two Greek words instead.

Say

an-DREE-see-um

Letters

A-N-D-R-O-E-C-I-U-M