definitions

pistil

[ pis-tl ]
/ ˈpɪs tl /
|

noun Botany.

the ovule-bearing or seed-bearing female organ of a flower, consisting when complete of ovary, style, and stigma.
such organs collectively, where there are more than one in a flower.
a gynoecium.

RELATED CONTENT

English Affixes From A To Z: A One-Stop List Of Suffixes, Prefixes, and Combining FormsIn English, we love to make new words by adding all sorts of bits to the front and back of existing terms. These are called affixes, and they are added to the base or stem of a word. When attached to the end of word, the affix is called a suffix. And to the beginning? A prefix.
READ MORE

Nearby words

pissy, pistachio, pistachio green, pistareen, piste, pistil, pistillate, pistoia, pistol, pistol grip, pistol-handle knife

Origin of pistil

1570–80; earlier pistillum, special use of Latin pistillum pestle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pistil

British Dictionary definitions for pistil

pistil

/ (ˈpɪstɪl) /

noun

the female reproductive part of a flower, consisting of one or more separate or fused carpels; gynoecium

Word Origin for pistil

C18: from Latin pistillum pestle
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 pistil

pistil

[ pĭs′təl ]

One of the female reproductive organs of a flower, consisting of a single carpel or of several carpels fused together. A flower may have one pistil or more than one, though some flowers lack pistils and bear only the male reproductive organs known as stamens. See more at carpel flower.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for pistil

pistil

[ (pis-tuhl) ]

The female part of a plant. In flowering plants, it is at the center of the flower. When fertilized with pollen, the pistil develops into fruit.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.