petal

See also: pètal

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πέταλον (pétalon), from πέταλος (pétalos, “broad, flat”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: pĕt'(ə)l, IPA(key): /ˈpɛt(ə)l/
  • (US) enPR: pĕt'(ə)l, IPA(key): /ˈpɛtl̩/, [ˈpʰɛɾɫ̩]
  • Rhymes: -ɛt(ə)l
  • Homophones: peddle, pedal (in some dialects, including many US ones)
  • Hyphenation: pet‧al

Noun

petal (plural petals)

  1. (botany) one of the component parts of the corolla of a flower, when this consists of separate parts, that is it is not fused. Petals are often brightly colored.
  2. Term of endearment.
    • 2011, Jo Baker, The Picture Book
      She is freezing cold. Sputtering. Big eyes wide and wet and red. Too shocked even to cry. 'It's okay, petal, it's okay.'

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Anagrams

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.