calyx - definition, synonyms and pronunciation

Open English WordNet

Noun (1)calyces, calyxes

(botany) the whorl of sepals of a flower collectively forming the outer floral envelope or layer of the perianth enclosing and supporting the developing bud; usually greenType of coil, whorlKinds hull, pappusPart of perianth, chlamysParts sepal

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Ca′lyx (kā′lĭks; 277), noun; pl. E. Calyxes (kā′wb-a1′>′lĭks·ĕz), L. Calyces (kăl′wb-a1′>′ĭ·sēz).

Origin: L. calyx, -ycis, fr. Gr. κάλυξ husk, shell, calyx, from the root of καλύπτειν to cover, conceal. Cf. Chalice Helmet.

1. Botany The covering of a flower. See Flower.

☞ The calyx is usually green and foliaceous, but becomes delicate and petaloid in such flowers as the anemone and the four-o'clock. Each leaf of the calyx is called a sepal.

2. Anatomy A cuplike division of the pelvis of the kidney, which surrounds one or more of the renal papillæ.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54