sessile

[ ses-il, -ahyl ]
/ ˈsɛs ɪl, -aɪl /

adjective

Botany. attached by the base, or without any distinct projecting support, as a leaf issuing directly from the stem.
Zoology. permanently attached; not freely moving.

Origin of sessile

1715–25; < Latin sessilis fit for sitting on, low enough to sit on, dwarfish (said of plants), equivalent to sess(us) (past participle of sedēre to sit1) + -ilis -ile

OTHER WORDS FROM sessile

ses·sil·i·ty [se-sil-i-tee] /sɛˈsɪl ɪ ti/, noun pseu·do·ses·sile, adjective sub·ses·sile, adjective

Words nearby sessile

sesquioxide, sesquipedalian, sesquiplane, sesquiterpene, sesshu, sessile, sessile oak, session, session musician, sessional indemnity, sessionman

Example sentences from the Web for sessile

British Dictionary definitions for sessile

sessile
/ (ˈsɛsaɪl) /

adjective

(of flowers or leaves) having no stalk; growing directly from the stem
(of animals such as the barnacle) permanently attached to a substratum

Derived forms of sessile

sessility (sɛˈsɪlɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for sessile

C18: from Latin sēssilis concerning sitting, from sedēre to sit

Medical definitions for sessile

sessile
[ sĕs′īl′, -əl ]

adj.

Permanently attached or fixed; not free-moving.

Scientific definitions for sessile

sessile
[ sĕs′īl′ ]

Permanently attached or fixed and not free-moving, as corals and mussels.
Stalkless and attached directly at the base, as certain kinds of leaves and fruit.