petiole
Americannoun
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Botany. the slender stalk by which a leaf is attached to the stem; leafstalk.
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Zoology. a stalk or peduncle, as that connecting the abdomen and thorax in wasps.
noun
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the stalk by which a leaf is attached to the rest of the plant
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zoology a slender stalk or stem, such as the connection between the thorax and abdomen of ants
Etymology
Origin of petiole
1745–55; < New Latin petiolus leafstalk, special use of Latin petiolus, scribal variant of peciolus, probably for *pediciolus, diminutive of pediculus pedicle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The abdomen and cephalothorax of spiders are closely attached, while in ants the equivalent of these body parts are separated by a narrow segment called the petiole," Poinar said.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 22, 2024
Our research project uses a portable spectrophotometer to rapidly determine petiole nutrient values in a potato field.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2023
A challenge when conducting tissue analysis lies in the precise selection of the appropriate petiole for sampling.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2023
A leaf petiole attaches to the main petiole or the midrib, not the stem, whereas a leaflet petiole attaches directly to the stem at a bud node.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Trunk 15–25° high; leaves broadly ovate or triangular, mostly truncate or a little heart-shaped at the base, on a slender petiole, variously 3–5-cleft or cut, serrate.—Va. to Ga. in the mountains, west to Mo. 3.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Gray, Asa
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
