one of the usually two minute, flat or fleshy outgrowths at the base of the flower of a grass, that swell up at flowering, assisting the escape of anthers and stigmas
Origin:
L lodicula, a small coverlet, dim. of lodix, a coverlet
See lodicule in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
One of two or three small scales at the base of the ovary in a grass flower, believed to be a rudimentary perianth.