pulvinus

[ puhl-vahy-nuhs ]

noun,plural pul·vi·ni

[puhl-vahy-nahy]. /pʌlˈvaɪ naɪ/.

Botany. a cushionlike swelling at the base of a leaf or leaflet, at the point of junction with the axis.
Architecture. pulvinar (def. 2).

Origin of pulvinus

First recorded in 1855–60, pulvinus is from the Latin word pulvīnus cushion

Words Nearby pulvinus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pulvinus in a sentence

The specimen employed was a terminal leaflet of Desmodium gyrans (Fig. 122) the pulvinus of which is very sensitive to light.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919 | Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
Effect of increasing intensity of light on the pulvinus of Desmodium gyrans: Experiment 129.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919 | Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
Before describing the experiment I shall demonstrate the tropic reactions of the two halves of the pulvinus of Mimosa.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919 | Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
A series of such positive responses of the upper half of the pulvinus is given in figure 118.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919 | Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
The velocity of transmission of excitation in a transverse direction through the pulvinus is about 0·011 mm.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919 | Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose

British Dictionary definitions for pulvinus

pulvinus

/ (pʌlˈvaɪnəs) /

nounplural -ni (-naɪ)

a swelling at the base of a leafstalk: changes in its turgor pressure cause changes in the position of the leaf

Origin of pulvinus

C19: from Latin: cushion

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

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