SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

polypetalous

adjective poly·pet·al·ous \ ˌpä-lē-ˈpe-tə-ləs \

Definition of polypetalous

: having or consisting of separate petals

Origin and Etymology of polypetalous

New Latin polypetalus, from poly- + petalum petal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1704

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up polypetalous? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

petard

play

a case containing an explosive

Words at Play

12 Words from All Over the Map

Some words say exactly where they're from

alt-5b032d1aef0e9

'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

One's clever, the other's like a child

alt-5b0310daaafde

A Matter-of-Fact Look at 'Deadpan'

Surely we can be serious.

9 Words from the Magical Realm

When language is magic

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words

Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

We’re already at the end of May?!

Take the quiz

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz

Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz

Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game