sepal

[ see-puhl ]

/ ˈsi pəl /

Save This Word!

noun Botany.

one of the individual leaves or parts of the calyx of a flower.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sepal

<New Latin sepalum (1790), irregular coinage based on Greek sképē covering and Latin petalumpetal

OTHER WORDS FROM sepal

sepaled, sepalled, adjective

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

How to use sepal in a sentence

The calyx is composed of five sepals, the corolla of four or five lobes, and the stamens are attached to the corolla.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux
The flowers are mostly small and white, with five sepals (when present), five petals, and five stamens.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux
It has a creeping woody rootstock, and a rough angular stem; and the petals are generally but little longer than the sepals.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux
Polysepalous, pol-i-sep′a-lus, adj. having the sepals separate from each other.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various

Petals veined, sepals dotted, with crimson—the underside of both heavily stained.
The Woodlands Orchids|Frederick Boyle

British Dictionary definitions for sepal

sepal

/ (ˈsɛpəl) /

noun

any of the separate parts of the calyx of a flower

Derived forms of sepal

sepalled or sepalous (ˈsɛpələs), adjective

Word Origin for sepal

C19: from New Latin sepalum: sep-, from Greek skepē a covering + -alum, from New Latin petalum petal

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 sepal

sepal

[ sē′pəl ]

One of the usually separate, green parts that surround and protect the flower bud and extend from the base of a flower after it has opened. Sepals tend to occur in the same number as the petals and to be centered over the petal divisions. In some species sepals are colored like petals, and they can even be indistinguishable from petals, as in the lilies (in what are called tepals). In some groups, such as the poppies, the sepals fall off after the flower bud opens. See more at flower.

sepal

Origin of sepal

OTHER WORDS FROM sepal

Words related to sepal

How to use sepal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sepal

Derived forms of sepal

Word Origin for sepal

Scientific definitions for sepal