ligula

American

[lig-yuh-luh] / ˈlɪg yə lə /

noun

PLURAL

ligulae, ligulas

Botany, Zoology. a tonguelike or strap-shaped part or organ.
Botany. ligule.

ligula British

/ ˈlɪɡjʊlə /

noun

entomol the terminal part of the labium of an insect consisting of paired lobes
a variant spelling of ligule

"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

Other Word Forms

ligular adjective
liguloid adjective

Etymology

Origin of ligula

1750–60; < New Latin, special use of Latin li ( n ) gula spoon, shoe-strap, equivalent to lig-, variant stem of lingere to lick + -ula -ule

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Phasellus lorem nibh, tempor et ligula ut, dictum suscipit tortor.

From Seattle Times

Vivamus congue, purus non mattis scelerisque, ipsum velit sodales mauris, ac tristique ligula nisi nec massa.

From Seattle Times

Aenean porta purus ligula, a porttitor justo feugiat eu.

From Seattle Times

Donec sit amet hendrerit ligula.

From Seattle Times

Duis diam ligula, commodo nec ultricies eu, hendrerit vel metus.

From National Geographic

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023