calyx

[ key-liks, kal-iks ]

/ ˈkeɪ lɪks, ˈkæl ɪks /

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See synonyms for calyx on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ca·lyx·es, cal·y·ces

[kal-uh-seez, key-luh-]. /ˈkæl əˌsiz, ˈkeɪ lə-/.

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

Anatomy, Zoology. a cuplike part.

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Origin of calyx

1665–75; <Latin <Greek kályx husk, covering, akin to kalýptein to veil, cover

OTHER WORDS FROM calyx

cal·y·cate

[kal-i-keyt], /ˈkæl ɪˌkeɪt/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use calyx in a sentence

All this bubbling of sap and slipping of sheaths and bursting of calyxes was carried to her on mingled currents of fragrance.
Summer|Edith Wharton
He looked so desperate that she laughed her silver, ringing laughter that shook the rose‑petals from their calyxes.
The Silver Butterfly|Mrs. Wilson Woodrow
These enormous calyxes were of the most brilliant golden yellow, azure, and purple.
The Works of Theophile Gautier, Volume 5|Theophile Gautier
The trees were raining too, showers of willow-catkins and cherry-bud calyxes, which fell noiselessly and strewed the ground.
Nine Little Goslings|Susan Coolidge

I have shown one of these calyxes in my title picture, at the right, one-half of it being torn off, and disclosing a cavity.
Eye Spy|William Hamilton Gibson

British Dictionary definitions for calyx

calyx

/ (ˈkeɪlɪks, ˈkælɪks) /

noun plural calyxes or calyces (ˈkælɪˌsiːz, ˈkeɪlɪ-)

the sepals of a flower collectively, forming the outer floral envelope that protects the developing flower budCompare corolla

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

Derived forms of calyx

calycate (ˈkælɪˌkeɪt), adjective

Word Origin for calyx

C17: from Latin, from Greek kalux shell, from kaluptein to cover, hide

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