Definition of pappus Pappus

pap•pus

We found 5 definitions of pappus from 5 different sources.

What does pappus mean?

WordNet

Noun

Plural: pappuses

pappus - calyx composed of scales or bristles or featherlike hairs in plants of the Compositae such as thistles and dandelions

calyx (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 green

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= related word

Wiktionary

pappus (Noun)
The markedly reduced sepals of an Asteraceae floret that take the form of trichomes or scale attached to the ovary or seed.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

pappus (n.)
The hairy or feathery appendage of the achenes of thistles, dandelions, and most other plants of the order Compositae; also, the scales, awns, or bristles which represent the calyx in other plants of the same order.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

pappus
pap′us, n. (bot.) the fine hair or down which grows on the seeds of some plants: the first hair on the chin.—adjs. Pappif′erous, bearing a pappus; Pappōse′, Papp′ous, provided or covered with down. [L. pappus—Gr. pappos, down.]

Part of speech

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pappus, noun, singular of pappuses.

Pronunciation

Word frequency

Pappus is...

Very rare

Rare

Normal

Common

Very Common