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calyx

[key-liks, kal-iks]
noun, plural ca·lyx·es, cal·y·ces [kal-uh-seez, key-luh-] /ˈkæl əˌsiz, ˈkeɪ lə-/.
  1. Botany. the outermost group of floral parts; the sepals.
  2. 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
Related formscal·y·cate [kal-i-keyt] /ˈkæl ɪˌkeɪt/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

husk, leaf, petal, sepal

Examples from the Web for calyxes

Historical Examples

  • We use angle nozzles, the better to direct the spray into the calyxes.

    Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916

    Various

  • The erect, straight pods, two or three inches long, are silky and also the calyxes and buds.

  • The anthers are orange; ovary white or pinkish; calyxes and buds purplish-red.

  • The calyxes and buds are downy and the flowers bright pink or rose-purple, delicately veined.

  • The calyxes are worked in satin stitch with moss green silk, and the lilies-of-the-valley with white silk.

British Dictionary definitions for calyxes

calyx

noun plural calyxes or calyces (ˈkælɪˌsiːz, ˈkeɪlɪ-)
  1. the sepals of a flower collectively, forming the outer floral envelope that protects the developing flower budCompare corolla
  2. any cup-shaped cavity or structure, esp any of the divisions of the human kidney (renal calyx) that form the renal pelvis
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Derived Formscalycate (ˈkælɪˌkeɪt), adjective

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for calyxes

calyx

n.

1680s, from Latin calyx, from Greek kalyx "seed pod, husk, outer covering" (of a fruit, flower bud, etc.), from root of kalyptein "to cover, conceal" (see cell). The proper plural is calyces. Some sources connect the word rather with Greek kylix "drinking cup."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
calyxes in Medicine

calyx

(kā′lĭks, kăl′ĭks)
n.
  1. Variant ofcalix
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
calyxes in Science

calyx

[kā′lĭks, kăl′ĭks]
  1. The sepals of a flower considered as a group. The calyx is the outermost whorl of a flower. See more at sepal.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.