calyx
noun /ˈkeɪlɪks/
/ˈkeɪlɪks/
(plural calyxes, calyces
(specialist) /ˈkeɪlɪsiːz/
/ˈkeɪlɪsiːz/
)- the ring of small green leaves (called sepals) that protect a flower before it opensWord Originlate 17th cent.: from Latin, from Greek kalux ‘case of a bud, husk’, related to kaluptein ‘to hide’.