petiole

noun pet·i·ole \ ˈpe-tē-ˌōl \

|Updated on: 21 Jul 2018

Definition of petiole

1 : a slender stem that supports the blade of a foliage leaf

2 : peduncle; specifically : a slender abdominal segment joining the rest of the abdomen to the thorax in some insects

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petioled

play \ˈpe-tē-ˌōld\ adjective

See petiole defined for kids

Recent Examples of petiole from the Web

The leaves are on long, arching stems and are deeply serrated, with leaf petioles having a hot pink hue.

— norman winter, sacbee, "Soon, you’ll be playing that Funky Pink in your displays," 6 July 2018
The huge leaves physically stand out from the trunk with petioles, i.e. leaf stems, up to two feet long!

— kenneth setzer, miamiherald, "This tree has huge leaves and clusters of coral flowers and likes Miami’s weather | Miami Herald," 6 Apr. 2018
Fine, silk webbing may be seen on the leaf underside or between the leaf petiole and stem, but this is usually blown away on outdoor trees and shrubs.

— OregonLive.com, "What to do when cuckoopint invades your garden: Ask an expert," 1 Feb. 2018
At the end of summer, an area of cells gradually builds up at the base of each leaf’s petiole, or stem, to weaken the connection to the tree.

— jo craven mcginty, WSJ, "Leave It to the Heat to Dull Autumn’s Glory," 13 Oct. 2017
Yuan Shan’. This gorgeous species features long, purple petioles (leaf stems) topped with multiple leaflets, and has showy purple fruit during the winter months.

— ciscoe morris, The Seattle Times, "Ciscoe Morris: Go bananas with these big, bold, tropical plants," 9 Aug. 2017
There’s a handy botany term of good use here: peltate, meaning the stem (the petiole) attaches to the leaf from underneath.

— kenneth setzer, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Fairchild's Tropical Garden Column: What’s that weed? Meet marsh pennywort," 4 Aug. 2017
There’s a handy botany term of good use here: peltate, meaning the stem (the petiole) attaches to the leaf not at the leaf’s margin, but from underneath.

— kenneth setzer, miamiherald, "Weed’s tale: the beguiling marsh pennywort," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'petiole.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of petiole

New Latin petiolus, from Latin petiolus, peciolus small foot, fruit stalk, probably alteration of Latin *pediciolus, diminutive of pediculus, diminutive of ped-, pes foot — more at foot

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1753

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year