perianth

[ per-ee-anth ]

/ ˈpɛr iˌænθ /

noun Botany.

the envelope of a flower, whether calyx or corolla or both.

Nearby words

peri-infarction block, periadenitis, periadenitis mucosa necrotica recurrens, periander, periangiitis, perianth, periaortitis, periapical, periapical cemental dysplasia, periapical curettage, periapical granuloma

Origin of perianth

1700–10; earlier perianthium < New Latin. See peri-, anth-, -ium

Related forms

per·i·an·thi·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for perianth

Perianth funnel-form, the cylindrical tube equalling the somewhat spreading limb or shorter; segments 1-nerved.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
Perianth neither gibbous nor with any trace of a spur or sac at the base.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
The fruit is a small angular nut, usually enclosed in the perianth.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux
Perianth of 3–6 mostly retrorsely barbed or ciliate bristles (not elongated), or sometimes wanting.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray

We must therefore regard the flower of the grass as typically composed of one carpel and three stamens, with no perianth whatever.
Grasses|H. Marshall Ward

British Dictionary definitions for perianth

perianth

/ (ˈpɛrɪˌænθ) /

noun

the outer part of a flower, consisting of the calyx and corolla

Word Origin for perianth

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

Science definitions for perianth

perianth

[ pĕr′ē-ănth′ ]

The sepals and petals of a flower considered together.