pappus

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpæpəs/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(pap′əs)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
pap•pus  (pap′əs),USA pronunciation n., pl. pap•pi (pap′ī).USA pronunciation [Bot.]
  1. Botanya downy, bristly, or other tuftlike appendage of the achene of certain plants, as the dandelion and the thistle.
  • Greek páppos down, literally, grandfather (taken as greybeard, white hairs, down)
  • Neo-Latin
  • 1695–1705

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
pappus /ˈpæpəs/ n ( pl pappi /ˈpæpaɪ/)
  1. a ring of fine feathery hairs surrounding the fruit in composite plants, such as the thistle; aids dispersal of the fruits by the wind
Etymology: 18th Century: via New Latin, from Greek pappos grandfather, old man, old man's beard, hence: pappus, downˈpappose, ˈpappous adj
'pappus' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Pappus of Alexandria - blowball - down - pappose - thistledown

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