petiole

noun

pet·​i·​ole ˈpe-tē-ˌōl How to pronounce petiole (audio)
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
petioled adjective

Examples of petiole 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.
Usually, three leaflets are attached to one petiole (the stalk that holds a leaf to the main stem or branch). Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2024 Poison ivy has compound leaves, meaning several leaflets are on one petiole or stalk. Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 July 2024 The disease can move out of the leaf into the petiole and into the cane. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024 Citrus leaves may develop a flange along the leaf stem, the petiole, that looks like a smaller version of the leaf blade. Melinda Myers, Journal Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2024 The petiole attaches the leaf to the trunk and funnels water through a split in its base. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 17 Mar. 2015 The tiny prickles on the back of the petiole are hard to see and can really snag unsuspecting gardeners. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2022 Richardson and her team tested both hypotheses in their model and found that the older idea, linking only the sheath to the petiole, offered the simplest evolutionary path and required only subtle changes in a common genetic blueprint. Julia Rosen, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2022 In the 1800s botanists proposed that the sheath part of a grass leaf represented the evolutionary equivalent of the petiole, the stalk that connects a typical plant’s leaf to its stem. Julia Rosen, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1753, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of petiole was in 1753

Dictionary Entries Near petiole

Cite this Entry

“Petiole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petiole. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

petiole

noun
pet·​i·​ole ˈpet-ē-ˌōl How to pronounce petiole (audio)
: the thin stem of a leaf

More from Merriam-Webster on petiole

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!