aril


aril
—arilloid, adj.
/ar"il/, n. Bot.
a usually fleshy appendage or covering of certain seeds, as of the bittersweet, Celastrus scandens, or the nutmeg.
[1785-95; < NL arillus; ML: grape seed, prob. erroneously for armillus, with same sense; cf. Upper It dial. armella, arma kernel, pit of a fruit, It animella edible insides of an animal < L anima lit., spirit (hence, the insides of a thing), with -illa dim. suffix; see ANIMA]

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Special covering of certain seeds that commonly develops from the seed stalk.

It is often a bright-coloured fleshy envelope, as in such woody plants as the yews and nutmeg and in members of the arrowroot family, oxalis, and the castor-oil plant. Animals are attracted to arils and eat the seeds, dispersing them in their wastes. The aril of nutmeg is the source of the spice known as mace.

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▪ plant anatomy
      special covering of certain seeds that commonly develops from the seed stalk. It is often a bright-coloured fleshy envelope, as in such woody plants as the yews and nutmeg and in members of the arrowroot family, the genus Oxalis, and the castor bean. Animals are attracted to arils and eat the seeds, dispersing them in their wastes. In the castor bean, the aril is spongy and absorbs water during germination. The aril of nutmeg is the source of the spice known as mace.

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Universalium. 2010.

Look at other dictionaries:

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  • aril — (n.) accessory covering of seeds, 1794, from Mod.L. arillus, from M.L. arilli, Sp. arillos dried grapes, raisins …   Etymology dictionary

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  • aril- — statusas T sritis chemija apibrėžtis Vienvalentė aromatinė grupė. santrumpa( os) Ar atitikmenys: angl. aryl rus. арил …   Chemijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • aril — [ar′il, er′il] n. [ModL arillus < ML, dried grape < L aridus, ARID] an additional covering that forms on certain seeds after fertilization, developing from the stalk of the ovule arillate [ar′ə lāt΄, er΄ə lāt΄] adj …   English World dictionary

  • Aril — Distinguish from aryl, which is a type of organic chemical radical. An aril (or arillus) is any specialized outgrowth from the funiculus (attachment point of the seed) (or hilum ) that covers or is attached to the seed. It is sometimes applied to …   Wikipedia

  • arilər — cəm <əsli sanskr.> 1. Elmi ədəbiyyatlarda: xalqların Hind və İran qrupuna verilən ümumi ad; ari irqinə mənsub qövmlər. İranın müasir adı «Arilər ölkəsi» deməkdir. 2. Daha geniş və qeyri elmi mənada Hind Avropa dillərində danışan xalqlar …   Azərbaycan dilinin izahlı lüğəti

  • aril — noun Etymology: probably from New Latin arillus, from Medieval Latin, raisin, grape seed Date: 1794 an exterior covering or appendage of some seeds (as of the yew) that develops after fertilization as an outgrowth from the ovule stalk • arillate… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • aril — noun A tissue surrounding the seed in certain fruits …   Wiktionary