calyx

American  

[key-liks, kal-iks] / ˈkeɪ lɪks, ˈkæl ɪks /

Also calix

noun

plural

calyxes, calyces

1. Botany. the outermost group of floral parts; the sepals.

2. Anatomy, Zoology. a cuplike part.

---

calyx British  

/ ˈkælɪks, ˈkælɪˌkeɪt, ˈkeɪlɪks /

noun

1. the sepals of a flower collectively, forming the outer floral envelope that protects the developing flower bud Compare corolla

2. any cup-shaped cavity or structure, esp any of the divisions of the human kidney ( renal calyx ) that form the renal pelvis

---

calyx Scientific  

/ kā′lĭks,kăl′ĭks /

1. The sepals of a flower considered as a group. The calyx is the outermost whorl of a flower.

2. See more at sepal

---

Other Word Forms

• calycate adjective

Etymology

Origin of calyx

First recorded in 1665–75; from Latin, from Greek kályx “cup, calyx (of a flower), husk, pod, covering,” akin to kalýptein “to veil, cover”

Example Sentences

So you slice off the stem end just below the calyx, the little cap.

From Salon • May 13, 2023

But the longer the three men talked, the closer they moved together, blotting out the room, a calyx of celebrity and mutual regard.

From New York Times • Jul. 18, 2018

"Here we have this discovery of these incredibly rare, delicate fossils - here you have a berry surrounded by this papery calyx - it's almost unheard of that such a thing could be fossilised."

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2017

Pretty, blush-pink flowers bloom on red wine-stemmed bushes with trident leaves, but it’s not the delicate petals that you want, but the outer sepals that form the protective, pointy calyx around the flower bud.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 15, 2016

The stem, calyx, rose and leaves were now one and seemed to have grown so.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith