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perianth

[per-ee-anth]
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noun Botany.
  1. the envelope of a flower, whether calyx or corolla or both.
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Origin of perianth

1700–10; earlier perianthium < New Latin. See peri-, anth-, -ium
Related formsper·i·an·thi·al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for perianth

Historical Examples

  • The lodicules are small organs and they are the vestiges of the perianth.

    A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses

    Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar

  • The perianth consists of six parts, and the stamens are usually six in number.

    The Sea Shore

    William S. Furneaux

  • The fruit is a small angular nut, usually enclosed in the perianth.

    The Sea Shore

    William S. Furneaux

  • The perianth of the flowers is, however, so small as to be inconspicuous.

  • The perianth is in six equal segments, and there are six stamens.

British Dictionary definitions for perianth

perianth

noun
  1. the outer part of a flower, consisting of the calyx and corolla
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Word Origin

C18: from French périanthe, from New Latin, from peri- + Greek anthos flower
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

Word Origin and History for perianth

n.

"envelope of a flower," 1706, from French périanthe, from Modern Latin perianthium (17c.), literally "that which is round the flower," from peri- (see peri-) + Greek anthos "flower" (see anther).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
perianth in Science

perianth

[pĕr′ē-ănth′]
  1. The sepals and petals of a flower considered together.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.