petal

¹ American  

[pet-l] / ˈpɛt l /

noun

1. one of the often colored segments of the corolla of a flower.

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-petal ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “seeking, moving toward” that specified by the initial element, used in the formation of compound words.

   acropetal.

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petal ¹ British  

/ ˈpɛtəl /

noun

1. any of the separate parts of the corolla of a flower: often brightly coloured

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-petal ² British  

combining form

1. seeking

   centripetal

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petal Scientific  

/ pĕt′l /

1. One of the often brightly colored parts of a flower surrounding the reproductive organs. Petals are attached to the receptacle underneath the carpels and stamens and may be separate or joined at their bases. As a group, the petals are called the corolla.

2. See more at flower

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Other Word Forms

• petal-like adjective
• petalage noun
• petaled adjective
• petaline adjective
• petalled adjective
• petalless adjective
• petallike adjective
• unpetaled adjective
• unpetalled adjective

Etymology

Origin of petal¹

1695–1705; < New Latin petalum petal, Latin: metal plate < Greek pétalon a thin plate, leaf, noun use of neuter of pétalos spread out, akin to petannýnai to be open, Latin patēre to stand open ( patent )

Origin of -petal²

< New Latin -pet ( us ) seeking, derivative of Latin petere to seek + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Floating like a flower petal in the spring breeze.

From Salon

Recently though, instead of the soft red petals, some people have been opting for the brown, blue or purple of crisp banknotes, folded, rolled or fastened together into floral-like bouquets.

From BBC

"Each piece of fabric, each petal, is made from different material. It was top-stitched to give the impression of veining," she said.

From Barron's

The last one showed a tall lumberjack with bright petals covering the skin of his arms.

From Literature

I harvested the fallen ones from the ground below and removed their green calyxes at the base of the petals.

From Literature

Related Words

• frond
• needle
• stalk