definitions

epicarp

[ ep-i-kahrp ]
/ ˈɛp ɪˌkɑrp /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR epicarp ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Botany.

the outermost layer of a pericarp, as the rind or peel of certain fruits.

RELATED WORDS

crust, shell, cover, husk, rind, bark, shuck, pellicle, exocarp, peeling, layer, peel, hull, cortex, skin, integument

Nearby words

epicalyx, epicanthic fold, epicanthus, epicardia, epicardium, epicarp, epicaste, epicedium, epicene, epicenter, epicentre

Origin of epicarp

First recorded in 1825–35; epi- + -carp
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for epicarp

  • Mooden Sheriff ascribes its emetic properties to the pulp alone, the epicarp and seeds being inactive according to his authority.

    The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera

  • The cells of the epicarp are broad and polygonal, sometimes regularly four-sided, about 15–35 µ broad.

    All About Coffee|William H. Ukers

  • At intervals along the surface of the epicarp are stomata, or breathing pores, surrounded by guard cells.

    All About Coffee|William H. Ukers

British Dictionary definitions for epicarp

epicarp

exocarp

/ (ˈɛpɪˌkɑːp) /

noun

the outermost layer of the pericarp of fruits: forms the skin of a peach or grape

Word Origin for epicarp

C19: from French épicarpe, from epi- + Greek karpos fruit
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

Science definitions for epicarp

epicarp

[ ĕp′ĭ-kärp′ ]

See exocarp.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.