involucre

[ in-vuh-loo-ker ]

noun
  1. Botany. a collection or rosette of bracts subtending a flower cluster, umbel, or the like.

  2. a covering, especially a membranous one.

Origin of involucre

1
1570–80; <Middle French <Latin involūcruminvolucrum

Other words from involucre

  • in·vo·lu·cral, adjective

Words Nearby involucre

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How to use involucre in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for involucre

involucre

involucrum (ˌɪnvəˈluːkrəm)

/ (ˈɪnvəˌluːkə) /


nounplural -cres or -cra (-krə)
  1. a ring of bracts at the base of an inflorescence in such plants as the composites

Origin of involucre

1
C16 (in the sense: envelope): from New Latin involucrum, from Latin: wrapper, from involvere to wrap; see involve

Derived forms of involucre

  • involucral, adjective
  • involucrate, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for involucre

involucre

[ ĭn′-və-lōōkər ]


  1. A series of bracts beneath or around a flower or flower cluster. The cupule, the cuplike structure holding an oak acorn, is a modified, woody involucre.

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