palea

P3A1L1E1A1
UK/ˈpælɪə/UK/ˈpeɪlɪə/UK/ˈpalɪə/

noun

The interior chaff or husk of grasses.

OriginLatin palea ← Proto-Italic *palejā ← Proto-Indo-European *pelh₁- →
UncommonScrabble 7
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Meanings

nounpalea (plural paleae or pales)

plural paleae · plural pales

  1. biologyThe interior chaff or husk of grasses.
  2. biologyOne of the chaffy scales or bractlets growing on the receptacle of many compound flowers, such as the sunflower.

    In a single Brazilian species, doubtfully referred to Brickellia, a few pales occur toward the edge of the disk.

    1917, Benjamin Lincoln Robinson, A Monograph of the Genus Brickellia

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*pelh₁-
  2. Proto-Italic*palejā
  3. Latinpalea
  4. Englishpalea

Borrowed from Latin palea (“chaff”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish podsadek, przylistek
  • podsadekbotany: interior chaff or husk of grasses
  • przylistekbotany: chaffy scale or bractlet growing on the receptacle of many compound flowers
Cite this entry
APA

palea. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palea

MLA

“palea.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palea. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “palea,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palea.

Source: palea on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.