pinnule

[ pin-yool ]

/ ˈpɪn yul /

noun

Zoology.

a part or organ resembling a barb of a feather, a fin, or the like.
a finlet.

Botany. a secondary pinna, one of the pinnately disposed divisions of a bipinnate leaf.

a metal plate with a small hole in it, used as a sight in a quadrant.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of pinnule

1585–95; < Latin pinnula pinnula

OTHER WORDS FROM pinnule

pin·nu·lar

[pin-yuh-ler] /ˈpɪn yə lər/, adjective

Words nearby pinnule

pinner, pinnigrade, pinniped, pinnula, pinnulate, pinnule, pinny, pinocchio, pinocchio, the adventures of, pinochet, pinochet ugarte

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for pinnule

The sori are in the form of lines which branch out from the lower part of the pinnule in a fan-shaped manner.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Sporangia in oblong sori under a reflexed tooth of a pinnule; indusium broad; rachis dark and shining.
The Fern Lover's Companion|George Henry Tilton
They occur about midway between the central vein of the pinnule and the margin of the leaf.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Pinnule, a secondary division of a bipinnate or tripinnate leaf, 66.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

The index reference for "Pinnule" should probably be 59, rather than 66, but was not changed.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for pinnule

pinnule

pinnula (ˈpɪnjʊlə)

/ (ˈpɪnjuːl) /

noun plural pinnules or pinnulae (ˈpɪnjʊˌliː)

any of the lobes of a leaflet of a pinnate compound leaf, which is itself pinnately divided

zoology any feather-like part, such as any of the arms of a sea lily

Derived forms of pinnule

pinnular, adjective

Word Origin for pinnule

C16: from Latin pinnula, diminutive of pinna feather

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 pinnule

pinnule

[ pĭn′yōōl ]

Any of the smaller leaflets into which each leaflet of a bipinnately compound leaf is subdivided. The leaves of many ferns are divided into pinnules.