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capitulum

 - 6 dictionary results

ca⋅pit⋅u⋅lum

  [kuh-pich-uh-luhm]
Use capitulum in a Sentence
–noun, plural -la  [-luh] .
Biology. any globose or knoblike part, as a flower head or the head of a bone.
Origin:
1715–25; < L, equiv. to capit- (s. of caput) head + -ulum, neut. of -ulus -ule
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To capitulum
ca·pit·u·lum   (kə-pĭch'ə-ləm)   
n.   pl. ca·pit·u·la (-lə)

  1. Botany See flower head.

  2. Biology A small knob or head-shaped part, such as a protuberance of a bone or the tip of an insect's antenna.


[Latin, diminutive of caput, capit-, head; see kaput- in Indo-European roots.]
flower head  
n.  

  1. A dense, short, compact cluster of sessile flowers, as of composite plants or clover. Also called capitulum.

  2. A very dense grouping of flower buds, as in broccoli and cauliflower.

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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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ca·pit·u·lum
Pronunciation: -&-l&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ca·pit·u·la /-l&/
: a rounded protuberance of an anatomical part: as a : the knob at the end of a bone or cartilage b : the beak of a tick composed ofthe mouthparts and palpi
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

capitulum ca·pit·u·lum (kə-pĭch'ə-ləm)
n. pl. ca·pit·u·la (-lə)
A small head or rounded articular extremity of a bone.

ca·pit'u·lar adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
capitulum   (kə-pĭch'ə-ləm)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural capitula

  1. A small knob or head-shaped part, such as a protuberance of a bone or the tip of an insect's antenna.

  2. An inflorescence consisting of a compact mass of small stalkless flowers, as in the English daisy. The yellow central portion of the capitulum of a daisy consists of disk flowers, while the outer white, petallike structures are actually ray flowers. The capitulum is the characteristic inflorescence of the composite family (Asteraceae) of flowering plants.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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