sepal

American  

[see-puhl] / ˈsi pəl /

noun

Botany.

1. one of the individual leaves or parts of the calyx of a flower.

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sepal British  

/ ˈsɛpəl, ˈsɛpələs /

noun

1. any of the separate parts of the calyx of a flower

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sepal Scientific  

/ sē′pəl /

1. One of the usually separate, green parts that surround and protect the flower bud and extend from the base of a flower after it has opened. Sepals tend to occur in the same number as the petals and to be centered over the petal divisions. In some species sepals are colored like petals, and they can even be indistinguishable from petals, as in the lilies (in what are called tepals). In some groups, such as the poppies, the sepals fall off after the flower bud opens.

2. See more at flower

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Other Word Forms

• sepaled
  adjective
• sepalled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sepal

< New Latin sepalum (1790), irregular coinage based on Greek sképē covering and Latin petalum petal

Example Sentences

But in 2001 she ended up in the business her mother started, Sepal Reproductive, a manufacturer of catheters for IVF procedures and distributor of diagnostic tests and medical devices.

From The Guardian • Jan. 23, 2016

True, being a lesbian threw some complications into the mix, but her years of work with Sepal Reproductive International meant she was familiar with the world of assisted reproduction.

From The Verge • Jul. 21, 2015

“They usually get what they ask for,” said Tipu Munshi, the Bangladeshi factory owner of the Sepal Group, which makes jeans and other clothing for Target, Walmart and Kmart.

From New York Times • Aug. 8, 2013

Each calyx-leaf or piece is called a Sepal.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa

Sepal, one of the parts of the calyx.

From The First Book of Farming by Goodrich, Charles Landon