peduncle

[ pi-duhng-kuhl, pee-duhng- ]
See synonyms for peduncle on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Botany.

    • a flower stalk, supporting either a cluster or a solitary flower.

    • the stalk bearing the fruiting body in fungi.

  2. Zoology. a stalk or stem; a stalklike part or structure.

  1. Anatomy.

    • a stalklike structure composed of white matter, connecting various regions of the brain.

    • an attachment process, as in the brachiopods.

Origin of peduncle

1
First recorded in 1745–55; from New Latin pedunculus, equivalent to Latin ped-, stem of pēs foot + -unculus diminutive suffix, originally of n-stems; cf. carbuncle, homunculus

Other words from peduncle

  • pe·dun·cled, pe·dun·cu·lar [pi-duhng-kyuh-ler], /pɪˈdʌŋ kyə lər/, adjective
  • in·ter·pe·dun·cu·lar, adjective
  • post·pe·dun·cu·lar, adjective
  • pre·pe·dun·cle, noun
  • sub·pe·dun·cle, noun
  • sub·pe·dun·cled, adjective
  • sub·pe·dun·cu·lar, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use peduncle in a sentence

  • The joints of the flagellum are approximately equal, and are together of the same length as the last peduncular joint.

    The British Woodlice | Wilfred Mark Webb

British Dictionary definitions for peduncle

peduncle

/ (pɪˈdʌŋkəl) /


noun
  1. the stalk of a plant bearing an inflorescence or solitary flower

  2. anatomy a stalklike structure, esp a large bundle of nerve fibres within the brain

  1. pathol a slender process of tissue by which a polyp or tumour is attached to the body

  2. biology another name for pedicel (def. 2)

Origin of peduncle

1
C18: from New Latin pedunculus, from Latin pedīculus little foot; see pedicle

Derived forms of peduncle

  • peduncled or peduncular (pɪˈdʌŋkjʊlə), 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 peduncle

peduncle

[ pĭ-dŭngkəl, pēdŭng′kəl ]


  1. The stalk that attaches a single flower, flower cluster, or fruit to the stem. See more at flower.

  2. A stalk supporting an animal organ, such as the eyestalk of a lobster.

  1. A slender stalk by which the base of a nonsessile tumor is attached to normal tissue.

  2. Any of several stalklike connecting structures in the brain, composed either of white matter or of white and gray matter.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.