pulvinus
Americannoun
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Botany. a cushionlike swelling at the base of a leaf or leaflet, at the point of junction with the axis.
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Architecture. pulvinar.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pulvinus
First recorded in 1855–60, pulvinus is from the Latin word pulvīnus cushion
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.
In these two cases perhaps the pulvinus was accidentally pricked, for on pricking the pulvinus of another cotyledon it rose a little.
From The Power of Movement in Plants by Darwin, Charles
The petiole was secured so that the basal joint, or pulvinus, of one of the lateral leaflets was at the centre of a graduated arc placed close behind the leaflet.
From The Power of Movement in Plants by Darwin, Charles
The seat of both the twisting and bending movement is in the pulvinus of the sub-petioles.
From The Power of Movement in Plants by Darwin, Charles
At the base of the peduncle there is a mass of small cells, forming a well-developed pulvinus, which is exteriorly coloured purple and hairy.
From The Power of Movement in Plants by Darwin, Charles
Such movements are wholly, or almost wholly, confined to leaflets provided with a pulvinus.
From The Power of Movement in Plants by Darwin, Charles
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.
