pericarp

[ per-i-kahrp ]

See synonyms for pericarp on Thesaurus.com

nounBotany.

the walls of a ripened ovary or fruit, sometimes consisting of three layers, the epicarp, mesocarp, and endocarp.
a membranous envelope around the cystocarp of red algae.

Origin of pericarp

1750–60; <New Latin pericarpium<Greek perikárpion pod. See peri-, -carp

Other words from pericarp

per·i·car·pi·al, per·i·car·pic, adjective
per·i·car·poi·dal, adjective

Words Nearby pericarp

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pericarp in a sentence

In the medlar the core (or true pericarp) is of a stony hardness, while the outer succulent covering is open at the summit.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 | Various
Dehiscent—the pericarp splits to allow the escape of the seeds—generally many-seeded.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 | Various
pericarp generally differentiated into distinct layers, one of which is succulent or fibrous.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 | Various
In an orthotropal seed attached to the base of the pericarp it is superior, as also in a suspended anatropal seed.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 | Various
pericarp woody, dehiscent at the tip by 2–4 valves; contains 1–4 seeds, slightly orbiculate, coriaceous.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines | T. H. Pardo de Tavera

British Dictionary definitions for pericarp

pericarp

/ (ˈpɛrɪˌkɑːp) /

noun

the part of a fruit enclosing the seeds that develops from the wall of the ovary
a layer of tissue around the reproductive bodies of some algae and fungi

Origin of pericarp

C18: via French from New Latin pericarpium

Derived forms of pericarp

pericarpial or pericarpic, 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 pericarp

pericarp

[ pĕr′ĭ-kärp′ ]

The tissue that arises from the ripened ovary wall of a fruit; the fruit wall. In fleshy fruits, the pericarp can often be divided into the exocarp, the mesocarp, and the endocarp. For example, in a peach, the skin is the exocarp, the yellow flesh is the mesocarp, while the stone or pit surrounding the seed represents the endocarp.

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