Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A supporting stalk, such as a peduncle or pedicel.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In botany, the stalk or petiole of a leaf, or peduncle of a flower.
  • noun In zoology, a peduncle, pedicel, or crus; a process or part of the body likened to the petiole of a plant, as supporting some other part of the body, or the rest of the body, as the muscular process by which some brachiopods are attached, the peduncle of a cirriped, the stem of a crinoid, the ophthalmite of a stalk-eyed crustacean, etc.
  • noun In machinery, the lower part of a mill-spindle.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) The stalk of a leaf or of flower; a petiole, pedicel, or reduncle.
  • noun The peduncle or stem by which various marine animals are attached, as certain brachiopods and goose barnacles.
  • noun The stem which supports which supports the eye in decapod Crustacea; eyestalk.
  • noun (Mach.) The lower part of a millstone spindle. It rests in a step.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun botany A stalk (such as a peduncle or pedicel) that supports another structure

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The calyx rises from a long, hollow footstalk, which is formed of rough plates overlapping each other like tiles on a roof.

    Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 12, No. 29, August, 1873 Various

  • Compressed by the elastic rind of the fruit, this liquid bears upon the base of the footstalk, which is gradually forced out, yields like a stopper, breaks off and leaves an orifice through which a stream of seeds and fluid pulp is suddenly ejected.

    The Life of the Spider Jean-Henri Fabre 1869

  • There is a species of huckkleberry common to the piney lands from the commencement of the Columbian Vally to the sea coast; it rises to the hight of 6 or 8 feet, is a simple branching, somewhat defused stem; the main body or trunk is cilindric branches are green smothe squar, and put forth a number of alternet branches of the same colour and form from the two horizontal sides only. the frute is a small deep purple berry which the nativs inform us is very good, the leaf is thin of a pale green and small being 3/4 of an inch in length and 3/8 in width; oval terminating more accoutely at the apex, than near the insersion of the footstalk which is at the base vened nearly entire; footstalks short and their position in respect to each other is alternate and too ranked, proceeding from the horizontal side of the bough only.

    Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 1904

  • Commencement of the Columbian Vally to the Sea coast; it rises to the hight of 6 or 8 feet, is a Simple branching, Somewhat defused Stem; the main body or trunk is cilindric branches are green Smothe squar, and put foth a number of alternet branches of the Same Colour and form from the two horizontal Sides only. the frute is a small deep purple berry which the nativs inform us is very good, the leaf is thin of a pale green and Small being 3/4 of an inch in length and 3/8 in width; oval terminateing more accoutely at the apax, than near the insersion of the footstalk which is at the base vened nearly entire; footstalks Short and their position in respect to each other is alternate and too ranked, proceeding from the horizontal Side of the bough only.

    The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 Meriwether Lewis 1791

  • There is a species of huckleberry common to the piny lands from the commencement of the Columbian valley to the seacoast; it rises to the hight of 6 or 8 feet. is a simple branching some what defuse stem; the main body or trunk is cilindric and of a dark brown, while the colateral branches are green smooth, squar, and put forth a number of alternate branches of the same colour and form from the two horizontal sides only. the fruit is a small deep perple berry which the natives inform us is very good. the leaf is thin of a pale green and small being 3/4 of an inch in length and 3/8 in width; oval terminateing more accutely at the apex than near the insertion of the footstalk which is at the base; veined, nearly entire, serrate but so slightly so that it is scarcely perceptible; footstalk short and there position with rispect to each other is alternate and two ranked, proceeding from the horizontal sides of the bough only.

    The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 Meriwether Lewis 1791

  • It is a small, graceful tree with rounded leaves having a wavy, toothed border, covered with soft silk when young, which remains only as a fringe on the edge at maturity, supported by a very slender footstalk about as long as the leaf, and compressed laterally from near the base.

    Among the Trees at Elmridge Ella Rodman Church

  • _Nelumbium luteum_, of which the former waves its beautiful flower on the surface of the river, while the latter, the queen, in fact, of the waters, proudly raises her magnificent crown upon a perpendicular footstalk.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 07, No. 43, May, 1861 Creator Various

  • From the centre of this footstalk rises a bundle of filaments that encircle the style, stamens springing also from the insertion of the leaves of the corolla, lining it with delicate beauty and waving their slender forms with exquisite grace.

    Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 12, No. 29, August, 1873 Various

  • They are neatly arranged in tufts on a short footstalk, which becomes surrounded with young growths, all as clear in their markings as the parent plant, so that a well grown specimen of three years or even less becomes a beautiful object, whether it is on rockwork or in a cold frame.

    Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Describing the Most Desirable Plants, for Borders, Rockeries, and Shrubberies. John Wood

  • To propagate it, the little offsets about the footstalk should be cut off with a sharp knife when the parent plant has finished flowering; they will mostly be found to have nice long roots.

    Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Describing the Most Desirable Plants, for Borders, Rockeries, and Shrubberies. John Wood

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