calyx
noun
ca·lyx ˈkā-liks 
also ˈka-
plural calyxes or calyces ˈkā-lə-ˌsēz
also ˈka-
1
: the usually green outer whorl of a flower consisting of separate or fused sepals
2
: a cuplike division of the renal pelvis surrounding one or more renal papillae
3
: a cup-shaped animal structure (such as the body wall of a crinoid)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Collectively, the sepals are referred to as the calyx. 
Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2022 There are bisque white oversize ceramic flowers by Lisa Conway, which resemble unfurling peonies or the calyx of a trumpet vine while also maintaining a feeling of abstraction. New York Times, 30 Apr. 2021 It’s late March, some of them beginning to turn and wilt and fade, headsDrooping, papery at the tips, desiccated, or completely gone, reduced to calyx. Ciaran Carson, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2019 If possible, push the calyx down the stem to reveal a little more of a wire/stem for the bacon roll to sit on. Fox News, 14 Feb. 2018 The calyx encloses the ripe fruit, acting as a protective structure. Earl Nickel, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Jan. 2018 This was what hip-hop would sound like if it were conceived inside of the calyx of an African violet, unfurling and wet. Danielle Jackson, Longreads, 15 Sep. 2017 See More
Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2022 There are bisque white oversize ceramic flowers by Lisa Conway, which resemble unfurling peonies or the calyx of a trumpet vine while also maintaining a feeling of abstraction. New York Times, 30 Apr. 2021 It’s late March, some of them beginning to turn and wilt and fade, headsDrooping, papery at the tips, desiccated, or completely gone, reduced to calyx. Ciaran Carson, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2019 If possible, push the calyx down the stem to reveal a little more of a wire/stem for the bacon roll to sit on. Fox News, 14 Feb. 2018 The calyx encloses the ripe fruit, acting as a protective structure. Earl Nickel, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Jan. 2018 This was what hip-hop would sound like if it were conceived inside of the calyx of an African violet, unfurling and wet. Danielle Jackson, Longreads, 15 Sep. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin calyc-, calyx, from Greek kalyx — more at chalice
First Known Use
1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
calyx
noun
ca·lyx ˈkā-liks
plural calyxes or calyces
-lə-ˌsēz
: the usually green outer part of a flower consisting of sepals
Medical Definition
calyx
noun
ca·lyx
variants also calix
ˈkā-liks also ˈkal-iks
plural calyxes or calyces
ˈkā-lə-ˌsēz also ˈkal-ə-
also calices : a cuplike division of the renal pelvis surrounding one or more renal papillae