pinnule

[ pin-yool ]
/ ˈpɪn yul /

noun

Zoology.
  1. a part or organ resembling a barb of a feather, a fin, or the like.
  2. a finlet.
Botany. a secondary pinna, one of the pinnately disposed divisions of a bipinnate leaf.
a metal plate with a small hole in it, used as a sight in a quadrant.

Origin of pinnule

1585–95; < Latin pinnula pinnula

OTHER WORDS FROM pinnule

pin·nu·lar [pin-yuh-ler] /ˈpɪn yə lər/, adjective

Words nearby pinnule

pinner, pinnigrade, pinniped, pinnula, pinnulate, pinnule, pinny, pinocchio, pinocchio, the adventures of, pinochet, pinochet ugarte

Example sentences from the Web for pinnule

British Dictionary definitions for pinnule

pinnule

pinnula (ˈpɪnjʊlə)

/ (ˈpɪnjuːl) /

noun plural pinnules or pinnulae (ˈpɪnjʊˌliː)

any of the lobes of a leaflet of a pinnate compound leaf, which is itself pinnately divided
zoology any feather-like part, such as any of the arms of a sea lily

Derived forms of pinnule

pinnular, adjective

Word Origin for pinnule

C16: from Latin pinnula, diminutive of pinna feather

Scientific definitions for pinnule

pinnule
[ pĭn′yōōl ]

Any of the smaller leaflets into which each leaflet of a bipinnately compound leaf is subdivided. The leaves of many ferns are divided into pinnules.