pericarp

noun

peri·​carp ˈper-ə-ˌkärp 

plural pericarps

: the ripened and variously modified walls of a plant ovary composed of an outer exocarp, middle mesocarp, and inner endocarp layer see endocarp illustration

Examples of pericarp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each has a tough outer shell, called the pericarp, within which lies the germ (seed embryo) and the endosperm. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2022

As the kernel heats up, the water inside the endosperm turns into superheated steam, increasing the pressure inside the pericarp. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2022

And of the proteins in the sample, 13 are found only in einkorn’s genus, mostly in the inner contents and the outer layer, or pericarp, of the seeds. —Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 13 July 2018

Word History

Etymology

New Latin pericarpium, from Greek perikarpion pod, from peri- + -karpion -carp

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above