petiole
noun
pet·i·ole ˈpe-tē-ˌōl 
1
: a slender stem that supports the blade of a foliage leaf
2
: peduncle
specifically : a slender abdominal segment joining the rest of the abdomen to the thorax in some insects
petioled
ˈpe-tē-ˌōld
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The tiny prickles on the back of the petiole are hard to see and can really snag unsuspecting gardeners. 
Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2022 Richardson and her team tested both hypotheses in their model and found that the older idea, linking only the sheath to the petiole, offered the simplest evolutionary path and required only subtle changes in a common genetic blueprint. Julia Rosen, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2022 In the 1800s botanists proposed that the sheath part of a grass leaf represented the evolutionary equivalent of the petiole, the stalk that connects a typical plant’s leaf to its stem. Julia Rosen, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2022 The leaflets are attached opposite each other and there is one leaflet on the end of the petiole so that the leaf always has an odd number, with either three, five or seven leaflets. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2022 An oak has a simple leaf with a small stem or petiole that attaches the leaf to the branch; but hickory has a compound leaf. Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 15 May 2021 The leaflets of the frond are attached on a petiole or stem. Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 15 May 2021 Cut an adult leaf off a healthy plant, leaving about 2 inches of petiole (a.k.a. Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 13 Jan. 2020 Poke a hole in fresh potting soil, about as deep as the petiole is long. Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 13 Jan. 2020 See More
Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2022 Richardson and her team tested both hypotheses in their model and found that the older idea, linking only the sheath to the petiole, offered the simplest evolutionary path and required only subtle changes in a common genetic blueprint. Julia Rosen, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2022 In the 1800s botanists proposed that the sheath part of a grass leaf represented the evolutionary equivalent of the petiole, the stalk that connects a typical plant’s leaf to its stem. Julia Rosen, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2022 The leaflets are attached opposite each other and there is one leaflet on the end of the petiole so that the leaf always has an odd number, with either three, five or seven leaflets. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2022 An oak has a simple leaf with a small stem or petiole that attaches the leaf to the branch; but hickory has a compound leaf. Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 15 May 2021 The leaflets of the frond are attached on a petiole or stem. Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 15 May 2021 Cut an adult leaf off a healthy plant, leaving about 2 inches of petiole (a.k.a. Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 13 Jan. 2020 Poke a hole in fresh potting soil, about as deep as the petiole is long. Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 13 Jan. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin petiolus, from Latin petiolus, peciolus small foot, fruit stalk, probably alteration of Latin *pediciolus, diminutive of pediculus, diminutive of ped-, pes foot — more at foot
First Known Use
1753, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
petiole
noun
pet·i·ole ˈpe-tē-ˌōl
: the slender stem of a leaf