stipes

[ stahy-peez ]

/ ˈstaɪ piz /

noun, plural stip·i·tes [stip-i-teez] /ˈstɪp ɪˌtiz/.

Zoology. the second joint in a maxilla of crustaceans and insects.

Botany, Mycology. a stipe.

Nearby words

Origin of stipes

1750–60; < Latin stīpes; see stipe

Definition for stipes (2 of 2)

stipe

[ stahyp ]

/ staɪp /

noun

Botany, Mycology. a stalk or slender support, as the petiole of a fern frond, the stem supporting the pileus of a mushroom, or a stalklike elongation of the receptacle of a flower.

Zoology. a stemlike part, as a footstalk; stalk.

Origin of stipe

1775–85; < French < Latin stīpes post, tree trunk or branch, log

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stipes

The stipes is usually about the same length as the leafy portion.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
The length of the leaves varies from one to three feet, and the stipes is usually about a third of this in measurement.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
The stipes is about the same length as the leafy portion, and the fronds themselves often rise to a great height.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
The stipes is somewhat short, hardly ever more than a third of the length of the frond, and sometimes less than this.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin

Stipes tall, lifting the blades ten to fifteen inches above the mud, whence they spring.
The Fern Lover's Companion|George Henry Tilton

British Dictionary definitions for stipes (1 of 2)

stipes

/ (ˈstaɪpiːz) /

noun plural stipites (ˈstɪpɪˌtiːz) zoology

the second maxillary segment in insects and crustaceans

the eyestalk of a crab or similar crustacean

any similar stemlike structure

Derived Formsstipiform (ˈstaɪpɪˌfɔːm) or stipitiform (ˈstɪpɪtɪˌfɔːm), adjective

Word Origin for stipes

C18: from Latin; see stipe

British Dictionary definitions for stipes (2 of 2)

stipe

/ (staɪp) /

noun

a stalk in plants that bears reproductive structures, esp the stalk bearing the cap of a mushroom

the stalk that bears the leaflets of a fern or the thallus of a seaweed

zoology any stalklike part; stipes

Word Origin for stipe

C18: via French from Latin stīpes tree trunk; related to Latin stīpāre to pack closely; see stiff

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

Word Origin and History for stipes

stipe

1785, from French stipe, from Latin stipes "log, post, tree trunk" (see stiff (adj.)).

Science definitions for stipes

stipe

[ stīp ]

A supporting stalk or stemlike structure, especially the stalk of a pistil, the petiole of a fern frond, or the stalk that supports the cap of a mushroom.