peduncle

UK: /pɪˈdʌŋk^əl/ US: (pi dung′kəl, pē′dung-)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

pe•dun•cle  (pi dung′kəl, pē′dung-), n. 

1. [Bot.]
   • Botany a flower stalk, supporting either a cluster or a solitary flower.
   • Botany the stalk bearing the fruiting body in fungi.
2. [Zool.] a stalk or stem; a stalklike part or structure.
3. Anatomy
   • a stalklike structure composed of white matter, connecting various regions of the brain.
   • an attachment process, as in the brachiopods.

• Neo-Latin pedunculus, equivalent. to Latin ped-, stem of pēs foot + -unculus diminutive suffix, origin, originally of n-stems; compare carbuncle, homunculus
• 1745–55

pe•dun′cled, pe•dun•cu•lar  (pi dung′kyə lər), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

peduncle / pɪˈdʌŋk^əl/ noun

1. the stalk of a plant bearing an inflorescence or solitary flower
2. a stalklike structure, esp a large bundle of nerve fibres within the brain
3. another name for pedicel2

Etymology: 18th Century: from New Latin pedunculus, from Latin pedīculus little foot; see pedicle

peˈduncled, peduncular / pɪˈdʌŋkjʊlə/ adjective