sepal

[ see-puhl ]

noun

, Botany.

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

sepal

/ ˈsɛpəl; ˈsɛpələs /

noun

1. any of the separate parts of the calyx of a flower

sepal

/ sē′pəl /

1. 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.
2. See more at flower

Derived Forms

• ˈsepalled, adjective

Other Words From

• sepaled sepalled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sepal¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sepal¹

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

Example Sentences

By mutating genes that control polyploidy in the mustardlike plant Arabidopsis thaliana, she and her team discovered that if the sepal had too few polyploid cells, it was stiff and upright and blooming was impeded.

From Science Magazine

Goethe recognized that all the parts of a flower, from pistil to sepal, are modified leaves.

From Nature

But in 2001 she ended up in the business her mother started, Sepal Reproductive, a manufacturer of catheters for IVF procedures and distributor of diagnostic tests and medical devices.

From The Guardian

True, being a lesbian threw some complications into the mix, but her years of work with Sepal Reproductive International meant she was familiar with the world of assisted reproduction.

From The Verge

“They usually get what they ask for,” said Tipu Munshi, the Bangladeshi factory owner of the Sepal Group, which makes jeans and other clothing for Target, Walmart and Kmart.

From New York Times