palea
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Related to paleae: lodicule
pa·le·a
(pā′lē-ə)n. pl. pa·le·ae (-lē-ē′)
1. The upper of the two bracts that enclose each floret in a grass spikelet.
2. A small bract at the base of a disc floret in some plants of the composite family.
[Latin, chaff.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
palea
(ˈpeɪlɪə) orpale
n, pl paleae (ˈpeɪlɪˌiː) or pales
1. (Botany) the inner of two bracts surrounding each floret in a grass spikelet. Compare lemma1
2. (Botany) any small membranous bract or scale
[C18: from Latin: straw, chaff; see pallet1]
paleaceous, paleal adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pa•le•a
(ˈpeɪ li ə)n., pl. -le•ae (-liˌi)
the upper or inner membranous bract of the pair that envelops each floret in a grass spike.
[1745–55; < New Latin; Latin: chaff]
pa`le•a′ceous (-ˈeɪ ʃəs) pa′le•ate (-ɪt, -ˌeɪt) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.