*peta*

a. [ Gr. 'anh`r, 'andro`s, man + pe`talon leaf. ] (Bot.) Produced by the conversion of the stamens into petals, as double flowers, like the garden ranunculus. Brande. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; unequal + &unr_; leaf. ] (Bot.) Having unequal petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. anti- + petal. ] (Bot.) Standing before a petal, as a stamen. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. a- not + petal. ] (Bot.) Having no petals, or flower leaves. [ See Illust. under Anther ]. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being apetalous. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + petalous. ] (Bot.) Having two petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. cata + petalous. ] (Bot.) Having the petals held together by stamens, which grow to their bases, as in the mallow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. centrum center + petere to move toward. ] 1. Tending, or causing, to approach the center. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) (a) Expanding first at the base of the inflorescence, and proceeding in order towards the summit. (b) Having the radicle turned toward the axis of the fruit, as some embryos. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Progressing by changes from the exterior of a thing toward its center; as, the centripetal calcification of a bone. R. Owen. [ 1913 Webster ]

Centripetal force (Mech.), a force whose direction is towards a center, as in case of a planet revolving round the sun, the center of the system, See Centrifugal force, under Centrifugal. --
Centripetal impression (Physiol.), an impression (sensory) transmitted by an afferent nerve from the exterior of the body inwards, to the central organ. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cerebrum + L. petere to seek. ] (Physiol.) Applied to those nerve fibers which go from the spinal cord to the brain and so transfer sensations (centripetal impressions) from the exterior inwards. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. dia` through, asunder + &unr_; to loose + &unr_; leaf. ] (Bot.) Having separate petals; polypetalous. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. di- + petalous. ] (Bot.) Having two petals; two-petaled. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'eleu`qeros free + E. petal. ] (Bot.) Having the petals free, that is, entirely separate from each other; -- said of both plant and flower. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'enne`a nine + E. petalous: cf. F. ennéapétale. ] (Bot.) Having nine petals, or flower leaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. epi- + petal. ] (Bot.) Borne on the petals or corolla. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; marriage + E. petalous: cf. F. gamopétale. ] (Bot.) Having the petals united or joined so as to form a tube or cup; monopetalous. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Hexa- + petal: cf. F. hexapétale. ] (Bot.) Having six petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. inter- + petal. ] (Bot.) Between the petals of a flower. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Macro- + petal. ] (Bot.) Having long or large petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Mono- + petal: cf. F. monopétale. ] (Bot.) Having only one petal, or the corolla in one piece, or composed of petals cohering so as to form a tube or bowl; gamopetalous. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The most recent authors restrict this form to flowers having a solitary petal, as in species of Amorpha, and use gamopetalous for a corolla of several petals combined into one piece. See Illust. of Gamopetalous. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L. ] (Bot.) A genus of labiate plants, including the catnip and ground ivy. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Octo- + petal. ] (Bot.) Having eight petals or flower leaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Oligo- + petal. ] (Bot.) Having few petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Opposite, and Petal. ] (Bot.) Placed in front of a petal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. para- + petal. ] (Bot.) Growing by the side of a petal, as a stamen. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Penta- + petal. ] (Bot.) Having five petals, or flower leaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Surrounding, or situated about, the petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. pe`talon a leaf, a leaf or plate of metal, fr. pe`talos outspread, broad, flat: cf. F. pétale. See Fathom. ] 1. (Bot.) One of the leaves of the corolla, or the colored leaves of a flower. See Corolla, and Illust. of Flower. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) One of the expanded ambulacra which form a rosette on the black of certain Echini. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Having petals; as, a petaled flower; -- opposed to apetalous, and much used in compounds; as, one-petaled, three-petaled, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Petal + -ferous. ] Bearing petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Having the form of a petal; petaloid; petal-shaped. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. pétalin. ] (Bot.) Pertaining to a petal; attached to, or resembling, a petal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. petalismo`s, fr. pe`talon a leaf: cf. F. pétalisme. ] (Gr. Antiq.) A form of sentence among the ancient Syracusans by which they banished for five years a citizen suspected of having dangerous influence or ambition. It was similar to the ostracism in Athens; but olive leaves were used instead of shells for ballots. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. pétalite. ] (Min.) A rare mineral, occurring crystallized and in cleavable masses, usually white, or nearly so, in color. It is a silicate of aluminum and lithium. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Petal + Gr. e'i^dos form. ] (Bot.) The metamorphosis of various floral organs, usually stamens, into petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Petal + -oid: cf. F. pétaloïde. ] (Bot.) Petaline. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Having the whole or part of the perianth petaline. [ 1913 Webster ]

Petaloideous division, that division of endogenous plants in which the perianth is wholly or partly petaline, embracing the Liliaceæ, Orchidaceæ, Amaryllideæ, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖PROP. n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. pe`talon a leaf + sti`chos a row. ] (Zool.) An order of Echini, including the irregular sea urchins, as the spatangoids. See Spatangoid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having petals; petaled; -- opposed to apetalous. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Petala [ NL. ] A petal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Petard. [ Obs. ] “Hoist with his own petar.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. pétard, fr. péter to break wind, to crack, to explode, L. pedere, peditum. ] (Mil.) A case containing powder to be exploded, esp. a conical or cylindrical case of metal filled with powder and attached to a plank, to be exploded against and break down gates, barricades, drawbridges, etc. It has been superseded. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. pétardier. ] (Mil.) One who managed a petard. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., from Gr. pe`tasos. ] (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.) The winged cap of Mercury; also, a broad-brimmed, low-crowned hat worn by Greeks and Romans. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. petaurista a ropedancer, Gr. petayristh`s, fr. petayri`zein to dance on a rope, fr. pe`tayron a pole, a stage for ropedancers: cf. F. pétauriste. ] (Zool.) Any flying marsupial of the genera Petaurus, Phalangista, Acrobata, and allied genera. See Flying mouse, under Flying, and Phalangister. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A genus of very large Asiatic flying squirrels.
Syn. -- genus Petaurista. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. n. A natural family of Old World flying squirrels.
Syn. -- subfamily Petauristidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Plani- + petal. ] (Bot.) Having flat petals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Poly- + petal. ] (Bot.) Consisting of, or having, several or many separate petals; as, a polypetalous corolla, flower, or plant. Martyn. [ 1913 Webster ]