involucel

[ in-vol-yuh-sel ]

/ ɪnˈvɒl yəˌsɛl /

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noun Botany.

a secondary involucre, as in a compound cluster of flowers.

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Origin of involucel

1755–65; <New Latin involūcellum, diminutive of Latin involūcruminvolucrum; for formation, see castellum

OTHER WORDS FROM involucel

in·vol·u·cel·ate

[in-vol-yuh-sel-it], /ɪnˌvɒl yəˈsɛl ɪt/, in·vol·u·cel·at·ed

[in-vol-yuh-sel-ey-tid], /ɪnˌvɒl yəˈsɛl eɪ tɪd/, adjective

Words nearby involucel

in vivo, invocate, invocation, invoice, invoke, involucel, involucrate, involucre, involucrum, involuntary, involute

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

How to use involucel in a sentence

When the umbellets are subtended by an involucre, this secondary involucre is called an Involucel.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
Spikelets are obovoid or lanceolate, 1- to 2-flowered, persistent on their stalks, one to three in an involucel.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses|Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
Spikelets one to three in each involucel, persistent, 1- to 2-flowered, with three or four glumes.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses|Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
Calyx with a 3-leaved involucel at the base, like an outer calyx.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray

Calyx either naked or with a 3-leaved involucel at its base.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for involucel

involucel

involucellum (ɪnˌvɒljʊˈsɛləm)

/ (ɪnˈvɒljʊˌsɛl) /

noun plural -cels or -cella (-ˈsɛlə)

a ring of bracts at the base of the florets of a compound umbel

Derived forms of involucel

involucellate or involucellated, adjective

Word Origin for involucel

C19: from New Latin involūcellum a little cover; see involucre

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