pericarp

[ per-i-kahrp ]
/ ˈpɛr ɪˌkɑrp /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR pericarp ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Botany.

the walls of a ripened ovary or fruit, sometimes consisting of three layers, the epicarp, mesocarp, and endocarp.
a membranous envelope around the cystocarp of red algae.

Origin of pericarp

1750–60; < New Latin pericarpium < Greek perikárpion pod. See peri-, -carp

OTHER WORDS FROM pericarp

per·i·car·pi·al, per·i·car·pic, adjective per·i·car·poi·dal, adjective

Words nearby pericarp

pericardiostomy, pericardiotomy, pericarditis, pericarditis obliterans, pericardium, pericarp, pericementitis, pericementum, pericenter, pericentre, perichaetial

Words related to pericarp

case, integument, scale, skeleton, chassis, hull, frame, shard, shuck, framework, husk, skin, pod, crust, nut, plastron, carapace

Example sentences from the Web for pericarp

British Dictionary definitions for pericarp

pericarp
/ (ˈpɛrɪˌkɑːp) /

noun

the part of a fruit enclosing the seeds that develops from the wall of the ovary
a layer of tissue around the reproductive bodies of some algae and fungi

Derived forms of pericarp

pericarpial or pericarpic, adjective

Word Origin for pericarp

C18: via French from New Latin pericarpium

Scientific definitions for pericarp

pericarp
[ pĕr′ĭ-kärp′ ]

The tissue that arises from the ripened ovary wall of a fruit; the fruit wall. In fleshy fruits, the pericarp can often be divided into the exocarp, the mesocarp, and the endocarp. For example, in a peach, the skin is the exocarp, the yellow flesh is the mesocarp, while the stone or pit surrounding the seed represents the endocarp.