Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A cushionlike swelling at the base of the stalk of a leaf or leaflet.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In botany, same as
cushion , 2 .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun botany A
joint on a plant leaf orpetiole that mayswell and cause movement of the leaf or leaflet.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Latin pulvīnus, cushion.]
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word pulvinus.
Examples
-
The leaves are trifoliate, on long, stiff petioles; the leaflets are ovate, 7. 5-15 cm long with the terminal one usually longer than the laterals and attached to the petiole by a marked pulvinus.
Chapter 35 1987
-
It was not a column, it was a _pulvinus_, or volute, of a colossal marble altar, worthy of being compared, in size and perfection of work, with the Altar of Peace discovered under the
Pagan and Christian Rome Rodolfo Amedeo Lanciani 1888
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.