palea
[ pey-lee-uh ]
/ ˈpeɪ li ə /
noun, plural pa·le·ae [pey-lee-ee]. /ˈpeɪ liˌi/.
a chafflike scale or bract.
the scalelike, membranous organ in the flowers of grasses that is situated upon a secondary axis in the axil of the flowering glume and envelops the stamens and pistil.
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Origin of palea
1745–55; <New Latin, special use of Latin palea chaff
OTHER WORDS FROM palea
pa·le·a·ceous [pey-lee-ey-shuhs], /ˌpeɪ liˈeɪ ʃəs/, pa·le·ate [pey-lee-it, ‐eyt], /ˈpeɪ li ɪt, ‐ˌeɪt/, adjectiveWords nearby palea
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for palea
British Dictionary definitions for palea
palea
pale
/ (ˈpeɪlɪə) /
noun plural paleae (ˈpeɪlɪˌiː) or pales botany
the inner of two bracts surrounding each floret in a grass spikeletCompare lemma 1
any small membranous bract or scale
Derived forms of palea
paleaceous (ˌpeɪlɪˈeɪʃəs), adjectiveWord Origin for palea
C18: from Latin: straw, chaff; see pallet 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Scientific definitions for palea
palea
[ pā′lēə ]
Plural paleae (pā′lē-ē′)
The inner or upper of the two bracts enclosing one of the small flowers within a grass spikelet.
The chaffy scales on the receptacle of a flower head in a plant of the composite family.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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