fern vs pteridophyte

fern and pteridophyte both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
fern	Yes	No	No	No
pteridophyte	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, pteridophyte is a hypernym of fern; that is, pteridophyte is a word with a broader meaning than fern:

fern: any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores
pteridophyte: plants having vascular tissue and reproducing by spores

Other hypernyms of fern include nonflowering plant.

fern (noun)	pteridophyte (noun)
any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores	plants having vascular tissue and reproducing by spores