pappous

Variant of pappus

pappus definition

pap·pus (pap′əs)

noun pl. pappi pap′pi′ (-ī′)

Bot. a group or tuft of prongs, bristles, scales, or simple or branched hairs, as on the achenes of the dandelion, forming the modified calyx of the composite and certain other families and serving in the dispersal of the fruit

Etymology: ModL < L < Gr pappos, old man, grandfather (see papa), hence substance resembling gray hairs

Related Forms:

  • pappose pap′·pose′ (-ōs′) adjective or pappous pap′·pous (-əs)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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