the female reproductive organ of flowering plants, consisting of an ovary, style (sometimes absent), and stigma. The carpels are separate or fused to form a single pistil
Derived forms
carpellary (ˈcarpellary)
adjective
carpellate (ˈkɑːpɪˌleɪt)
adjective
Word origin
C19: from New Latin carpellum, from Greek karpos fruit
carpel in American English
(ˈkɑrpəl)
noun
1.
a simple pistil, regarded as a single ovule-bearing leaf or modified leaflike structure
2.
any of the segments of a compound pistil, usually having a single stigma