petal

noun

pet·​al ˈpe-tᵊl 

: one of the modified often brightly colored leaves of the corolla of a flower see flower illustration

petaled adjective

or petalled

ˈpe-tᵊld 

petallike

ˈpe-tᵊl-ˌ(l)īk 

adjective

Examples of petal in a Sentence

flowers with pink and white petals

Recent Examples on the Web

The towering elegance of a Southern magnolia or the soft pink petals of a saucer magnolia are iconic signals that spring has arrived in the South. —Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 13 May 2026

Last year’s pink number that Klum styled included a long train and featured floral inspiration with a series of pink petals creating the body and train of the dress. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 12 May 2026

While the classic sunflower has a brown center surrounded by rich yellow petals, sunflowers are also available in shades of red, yellow, orange, white, pink, and brown. —Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 11 May 2026

Fallen petals covered the entire street like fresh snow. —Jerry Wu, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin petalum, from Greek petalon; akin to Greek petannynai to spread out — more at fathom

First Known Use

1712, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing petal

• banner petal
• standard petal

Rhymes for petal

• betel
• cetyl
• kettle
• metal
• mettle
• nettle
• setal
• settle
• acetyl
• bimetal
• gunmetal
• nonmetal

Kids Definition

petal

noun

pet·​al ˈpet-ᵊl 

: one of the often brightly colored modified leaves that make up the corolla of a flower

petaled adjective

or petalled

-ᵊld 

petallike

-ᵊl-ˌ(l)īk 

adjective