carpel

[ kahr-puhl ]

noun

, Botany.

1. a simple pistil, or a single member of a compound pistil.

carpel

/ ˈkɑːpɪˌleɪt; ˈkɑːpəl /

noun

1. the female reproductive organ of flowering plants, consisting of an ovary, style (sometimes absent), and stigma. The carpels are separate or fused to form a single pistil

carpel

/ kär′pəl /

1. One of the individual female reproductive organs in a flower. A carpel is composed of an ovary, a style, and a stigma, although some flowers have carpels without a distinct style. In origin, carpels are leaves (megasporophylls) that have evolved to enclose the ovules. The term pistil is sometimes used to refer to a single carpel or to several carpels fused together.
2. See more at flower

Derived Forms

• carpellate, adjective
• ˈcarpellary, adjective

Other Words From

• car·pel·lar·y [kahr, -p, uh, -ler-ee], adjective
• inter·carpel·lary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of carpel¹

1810–20; < New Latin carpellum, equivalent to Greek karp ( ós ) fruit + Latin -ellum diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of carpel¹

C19: from New Latin carpellum, from Greek karpos fruit

Example Sentences

A pod-like fruit composed of a solitary carpel and usually splitting open by both sutures (Leguminosae).

From Project Gutenberg

The follicle is a dry unilocular many-seeded fruit, formed from one carpel and dehiscing by the ventral suture.

From Project Gutenberg

From the back of each carpel grows a wing, converting the fruit into two 1-seeded, at length separable samaras or keys.

From Project Gutenberg

Also, instead of a perigynous disk, there are usually little scales on the receptacle, one behind each carpel.

From Project Gutenberg

A dry dehiscent fruit composed of more than one carpel; the spore-case of Hepatic, etc.

From Project Gutenberg