bract

[brakt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bract ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Botany.

a specialized leaf or leaflike part, usually situated at the base of a flower or inflorescence.

Origin of bract

1760–70; earlier bractea < Latin: a thin plate of metal

Related formsbrac·te·al

[brak-tee-uh l] /ˈbræk ti əl/, adjectivebract·ed, adjectivebract·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bract

needle, stalk, frond, petal, scale, blade, leaflet, flag, pad, stipule, petiole, foliole

Examples from the Web for bract

Historical Examples of bract

The lower part of the bract forms a sheath which encloses the ovary.
Vegetable Teratology
Maxwell T. Masters
Union of the leaf or bract with the flower-stalk is not uncommon.
Vegetable Teratology
Maxwell T. Masters
Br, The bract devoid of muscles and respiratory in function.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6
Various
Diagram of Violet-flower; showing the relation of parts to bract and axis.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray
The bract and pedicels of the umbel all spring from the extremity of a peduncle 1½in.
Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers
John Wood

British Dictionary definitions for bract

bract

noun

a specialized leaf, usually smaller than the foliage leaves, with a single flower or inflorescence growing in its axil

Derived Formsbracteal, adjectivebractless, adjective

Word 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bract

in botany, "small leaf at the base of a flower," Modern Latin, from Latin bractea, literally "thin metal plate," of unknown origin. Related: Bracteal; bracteate.

bract in Science

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.