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aril

 - 3 dictionary results

ar⋅il

  [ar-il]
Use aril in a Sentence
–noun Botany.
a usually fleshy appendage or covering of certain seeds, as of the bittersweet, Celastrus scandens, or the nutmeg.
Origin:
1785–95; < NL arillus; ML: grape seed, prob. erroneously for armillus, with same sense; cf. Upper It dial. armella, arma kernel, pit of a fruit, It animella edible insides of an animal < L anima lit., spirit (hence, the insides of a thing), with -illa dim. suffix; see anima

Related forms:
ar⋅il⋅loid, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ar·il   (ār'əl)   
n.  A fleshy, usually brightly colored cover of a seed, arising from the hilum or funiculus.

[Medieval Latin arillus, grape seed.]
ar'iled adj., ar'il·late' (-lāt', -lĭt) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Science Dictionary
aril   (ār'əl)  Pronunciation Key 
A fleshy seed cover which arises from the funiculus (the stalk of the ovule). Arils, such the red berry-like arils of the yew, are often brightly colored to attract animals who eat them and disperse the seeds. The spice mace is the aril of the nutmeg seed.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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