plumule

American  

[ploom-yool] / ˈplum yul /

noun

1. Botany. the bud of the ascending axis of a plant while still in the embryo.

2. Ornithology. a down feather.

---

plumule British  

/ ˈpluːmjuːl /

noun

1. the embryonic shoot of seed-bearing plants

2. a down feather of young birds that persists in some adults

---

plumule Scientific  

/ plo̅o̅m′yo̅o̅l /

1. The young shoot of a plant embryo, situated above the cotyledons and consisting of the epicotyl and often of immature leaves.

2. See more at germination

---

Other Word Forms

• plumular adjective

Etymology

Origin of plumule

1720–30; < New Latin, Latin plūmula. See plume, -ule

Example Sentences

These plumules interlock and trap tiny pockets of air — it’s actually this layer of air that keeps the cold out and the warmth in.

From Salon

Embryo with a single cotyledon, and the leaves of the plumule alternate.

From Project Gutenberg

The sprout at the end of a seed when it begins to germinate; the plumule in germination; Ð so called from its spiral form.

From Project Gutenberg

The germ-sheath grows vertically upwards, its stiff apex pushing through the soil, while the plumule is hidden in its hollow interior.

From Project Gutenberg

Within the cotyledons the primordial leaves are seen, constituting the plumule or first bud of the plant.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fringe
• plume