Main Entry: lig·ule

Pronunciation: \ˈli-(ˌ)gyül\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin ligula, from Latin, small tongue, strap, from lingere to lick — more at lick

Date: circa 1847

: a scalelike projection especially on a plant: as a : a thin appendage of a foliage leaf and especially of the sheath of a blade of grass b : a ligulate corolla of a ray floret in a composite head