bract
[ brakt ]
/ brækt /
noun Botany.
a specialized leaf or leaflike part, usually situated at the base of a flower or inflorescence.
Nearby words
brackett series, brackish, bracknell, bracknell forest, braconid, bract, bracteate, bracteolate, bracteole, brad, bradawl
Origin of bract
1760–70; earlier bractea < Latin: a thin plate of metal
Related forms
brac·te·al [brak-tee-uh l] /ˈbræk ti əl/, adjectivebract·ed, adjectivebract·less, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for bract
British Dictionary definitions for bract
bract
/ (brækt) /
noun
a specialized leaf, usually smaller than the foliage leaves, with a single flower or inflorescence growing in its axil
Derived Forms
bracteal, adjectivebractless, adjectiveWord Origin for bract
C18: from New Latin bractea, Latin: thin metal plate, gold leaf, variant of brattea, of obscure origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Science definitions for bract
bract
[ brăkt ]
A modified leaf growing just below a flower or flower stalk. Bracts are generally small and inconspicuous, but some are showy and petallike, as the brightly colored bracts of bougainvillaea or the white or pink bracts of flowering dogwoods.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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