Main Entry:

car·pel

Pronunciation:

\ˈkär-pəl\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

New Latin carpellum, from Greek karpos fruit

Date:

1835

: one of the ovule-bearing structures in an angiosperm that comprises the innermost whorl of a flower — compare pistil

— car·pel·lary \-pə-ˌler-ē\ adjective

— car·pel·late \-ˌlāt, -lət\ adjective