petiole

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from French pétiole, and its source, Late Latin petiolus (“little foot”), diminutive form of Latin pēs (“foot”). === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈpɛti.əʊl/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈpɛti.oʊl/ === Noun === petiole (plural petioles) (botany) The stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem. Synonym: pedicel (stalk of a flower) (entomology, insect anatomy) A narrow or constricted segment of the body of an insect; especially, the metasomal segment of certain Hymenoptera, such as wasps. Synonym: pedicel (used more generally, of arthropods) (entomology) The stalk at the base of the nest of the paper wasp. ==== Usage notes ==== The presence of a petiole (narrow body segment) is the defining characteristic distinguishing the suborder Apocrita (ants, bees and wasps) from the rest of order Hymenoptera (i.e., from the paraphyletic suborder Symphyta). ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === petiole (botany) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia petiole (insect anatomy) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia