carpel

car·pel  (kärpl)

n.

One of the structural units of a pistil, representing a modified, ovule-bearing leaf.

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[New Latin carpellum, from Greek karpos, fruit; see kerp- in Indo-European roots.]

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carpel·lary (-p-lr) adj.

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carpel

Noun

the female reproductive organ of a flowering plant [Greek karpos fruit]

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carpel  (kärpl)

One of the individual female reproductive organs in a flower. A carpel is composed of an ovary, a style, and a stigma, although some flowers have carpels without a distinct style. In origin, carpels are leaves (megasporophylls) that have evolved to enclose the ovules. The term pistil is sometimes used to refer to a single carpel or to several carpels fused together. See more at flower.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

carpel - a simple pistil or one element of a compound pistil blossom, flower, bloom - reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts pistil - the female ovule-bearing part of a flower composed of ovary and style and stigma mericarp - a carpel with one seed; one of a pair split apart at maturity