: one of the modified leaves comprising a calyx see flower illustration
Examples of sepal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Powdery mildew: Appears as a fine, white, powdery coating on the upper surfaces of young leaves, shoots, buds and sepals.
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Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
In most flowers, sepals are a whorl of green, known as a calyx, at the base of the petals, but here sepals, which are pointed, make up the entire inflorescence.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
The yellow flowers are small and cup-shaped with five to nine petal-like sepals.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 31 Mar. 2026
Every morning, the little nightingale probed the earth for insects and dipped her beak into the sparkling dew that collected on the chicory’s sepals.
—Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
Set atop large gray-green leaves, the flowers emerge one at a time from the spathe with three brilliant orange sepals and three bright blue petals.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 May 2025
The sepals of the deep pink flowers are steeped with soul-warming spices and sugar to make a heady, floral refresher.
—Saveur Editors, Saveur, 11 Apr. 2024
The sepals and all those fancy Latin words that tell you what’s what.
—Stephen Orr, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Mar. 2023
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Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
In most flowers, sepals are a whorl of green, known as a calyx, at the base of the petals, but here sepals, which are pointed, make up the entire inflorescence.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
The yellow flowers are small and cup-shaped with five to nine petal-like sepals.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 31 Mar. 2026
Every morning, the little nightingale probed the earth for insects and dipped her beak into the sparkling dew that collected on the chicory’s sepals.
—Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
Set atop large gray-green leaves, the flowers emerge one at a time from the spathe with three brilliant orange sepals and three bright blue petals.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 May 2025
The sepals of the deep pink flowers are steeped with soul-warming spices and sugar to make a heady, floral refresher.
—Saveur Editors, Saveur, 11 Apr. 2024
The sepals and all those fancy Latin words that tell you what’s what.
—Stephen Orr, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Sepal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sepal. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sepal
noun
se·pal
ˈsēp-əl 
ˈsep-
: one of the specialized leaves that form the calyx of a flower
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