petal

/ˈpɛdl/
/ˈpɛtəl/
IPA guide

Other forms: petals

A petal is a part of a flower. Most flowers have a ring of brightly colored petals surrounding the center part of the blossom.

Petal comes from the Greek word petalon, meaning "leaf, thin plate." A petal is the lovely colorful leaf-like ring around the center of the flower, a thin plate for a fairy. The petals make up a flower’s corolla, surrounding the center. You can rip them off one by one as you say, “She loves me, she loves me not” until the last petal is picked. She loves me!

Definitions of petal
  1. noun
    part of the perianth that is usually brightly colored
    synonyms: flower petal
    see moresee less
    type of:
    floral leaf
    a modified leaf that is part of a flower
Pronunciation
US
/ˈpɛdl/
UK
/ˈpɛtəl/
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Commonly confused words

peddle / pedal / petal

Sometimes the only way to choose your words with homophones is to memorize their spellings and meanings. Pedal/peddle/petal is one such set of homophones.

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Word Family

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