calyx

noun

ca·​lyx ˈkā-liks How to pronounce calyx (audio)
also
ˈka- How to pronounce calyx (audio)
plural calyxes or calyces ˈkā-lə-ˌsēz How to pronounce calyx (audio)
 also  ˈka-
1
: the usually green outer whorl of a flower consisting of separate or fused sepals
2
: a cuplike division of the renal pelvis surrounding one or more renal papillae
3
: a cup-shaped animal structure (such as the body wall of a crinoid)

Examples of calyx in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Over time leaves gracefully cascade down with bright red flowers emerging from dark maroon calyxes. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 Still, the one that has come to rule them all is the Japanese eggplant, slender and glossy, presented at an upward tilt, a regal baton to be handed off to the next runner, with the green cap of its calyx perched perkily on top. Ligaya Mishan Melody Melamed, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2022 Collectively, the sepals are referred to as the calyx. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2022 There are bisque white oversize ceramic flowers by Lisa Conway, which resemble unfurling peonies or the calyx of a trumpet vine while also maintaining a feeling of abstraction. New York Times, 30 Apr. 2021 It’s late March, some of them beginning to turn and wilt and fade, heads Drooping, papery at the tips, desiccated, or completely gone, reduced to calyx. Ciaran Carson, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2019 If possible, push the calyx down the stem to reveal a little more of a wire/stem for the bacon roll to sit on. Fox News, 14 Feb. 2018 The calyx encloses the ripe fruit, acting as a protective structure. Earl Nickel, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Jan. 2018 This was what hip-hop would sound like if it were conceived inside of the calyx of an African violet, unfurling and wet. Danielle Jackson, Longreads, 15 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Latin calyc-, calyx, from Greek kalyx — more at chalice

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of calyx was in 1660

Dictionary Entries Near calyx

Cite this Entry

“Calyx.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calyx. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

calyx

noun
ca·​lyx ˈkā-liks How to pronounce calyx (audio)
 also  ˈkal-iks
plural calyxes or calyces ˈkā-lə-ˌsēz How to pronounce calyx (audio)
 also  ˈkal-ə-
: the usually green or leafy outside part of a flower consisting of sepals

Medical Definition

calyx

noun
ca·​lyx
variants also calix
ˈkā-liks also ˈkal-iks
plural calyxes or calyces
ˈkā-lə-ˌsēz also ˈkal-ə-
also calices
: a cuplike division of the renal pelvis surrounding one or more renal papillae

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