pappus

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noun

The markedly reduced sepals of an Asteraceae floret that take the form of trichomes or scale attached to the ovary or seed.

Similar
corona seminis
OriginLatin pappus ← Ancient Greek πάππος →
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Meanings

nounpappus (plural pappuses or pappi)

plural pappuses · plural pappi

  1. biologyThe markedly reduced sepals of an Asteraceae floret that take the form of trichomes or scale attached to the ovary or seed.

    Synonyms: corona seminis

  2. The first downy hairs that appear on the chin.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe markedly reduced sepals of an Asteraceae floret that take the form of trichomes or scale attached to the ovary or seed.

Similar
corona seminis
Also see
corona seminis

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπάππος
  2. Latinpappus
  3. Englishpappus

Via Latin pappus from Ancient Greek πάππος (páppos), an affectionate term for elderly men (referencing beards).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French pappus, aigrette
  • pappusTranslations
  • aigretteTranslations
German Pappus
  • PappusTranslations
Hungarian bóbita
  • bóbitaTranslations
Irish papas
  • papasTranslations
Italian pappo
  • pappoTranslations
Māori hune, puarere
  • huneTranslations
  • puarereTranslations
Polish puch kielichowy
  • puch kielichowyTranslations
Portuguese papus, papilho
  • papusTranslations
  • papilhoTranslations
Romanian papus
  • papusTranslations
Spanish vilano, papus
  • vilanoTranslations
  • papusTranslations
Welsh papws
  • papwsTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

pappus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pappus

MLA

“pappus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pappus. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pappus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pappus.

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