bract
[ brakt ]
/ brækt /
noun Botany.
a specialized leaf or leaflike part, usually situated at the base of a flower or inflorescence.
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Origin of bract
1760–70; earlier bractea < Latin: a thin plate of metal
OTHER WORDS FROM bract
brac·te·al [brak-tee-uh l] /ˈbræk ti əl/, adjectivebract·ed, adjectivebract·less, adjectiveWords nearby bract
brackett series, brackish, bracknell, bracknell forest, braconid, bract, bracteate, bracteolate, bracteole, brad, bradawl
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences 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 of bract
bracteal, adjectivebractless, adjectiveWord Origin for bract
C18: from New Latin bractea, Latin: thin metal plate, gold leaf, variant of brattea, of obscure origin
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Scientific 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.
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