PETIOLE

petiole, leafstalk

(noun) the slender stem that supports the blade of a leaf

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

petiole (plural petioles)

(botany) The stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem.

Synonym: pedicel (stalk of a flower)

(entomology, insect anatomy) A narrow or constricted segment of the body of an insect; especially, the metasomal segment of certain Hymenoptera, such as wasps.

Synonym: pedicel (used more generally, of arthropods)

(entomology) The stalk at the base of the nest of the paper wasp.

Usage notes

• The presence of a petiole (narrow body segment) is the defining characteristic distinguishing the suborder Apocrita (ants, bees and wasps) from the rest of order Hymenoptera (i.e, from the paraphyletic suborder Symphyta).

Source: Wiktionary


Pet"i*ole, n. Etym: [F. pétiole, fr. L. petiolus a little foot, a fruit stalk; cf. pes, pedis, a foot.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: A leafstalk; the footstalk of a leaf, connecting the blade with the stem. See Illust. of Leaf.

2. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A stalk or peduncle.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

27 January 2025

FISSILE

(adjective) capable of being split or cleft or divided in the direction of the grain; “fissile crystals”; “fissile wood”


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Coffee Trivia

In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.

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