pappus

[ pap-uhs ]

noun,plural pap·pi [pap-ahy]. /ˈpæp aɪ/. Botany.
  1. a downy, bristly, or other tuftlike appendage of the achene of certain plants, as the dandelion and the thistle.

Origin of pappus

1
1695–1705; <New Latin <Greek páppos down, literally, grandfather (taken as greybeard, white hairs, down)

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How to use pappus in a sentence

  • Happily the Pappi soon appeared; a fine-looking man with a beard and a kindly face.

    Through Finland in Carts | Ethel Brilliana Alec-Tweedie

British Dictionary definitions for pappus

pappus

/ (ˈpæpəs) /


nounplural pappi (ˈpæpaɪ)
  1. a ring of fine feathery hairs surrounding the fruit in composite plants, such as the thistle; aids dispersal of the fruits by the wind

Origin of pappus

1
C18: via New Latin, from Greek pappos grandfather, old man, old man's beard, hence: pappus, down

Derived forms of pappus

  • pappose or pappous, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for pappus

pappus

[ păpəs ]


Plural pappi (păpī)
  1. A structure made of scales, bristles, or featherlike hairs that is attached to the seeds (called cypselae) of plants of the composite family and that aids in dispersal by the wind. The downy part of a dandelion or thistle seed is a pappus. The pappus is derived from a modified calyx.

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