calyx Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun (botany) the whorl of sepals of a flower collectively forming the outer floral envelope or layer of the perianth enclosing and supporting the developing bud; usually green

L. calyx, -ycis, fr. Gr. husk, shell, calyx, from the root of to cover, conceal. Cf. Chalice Helmet.

plural E Calyxes L Calyces

(Bot.) The covering of a flower. See Flower. ✍ The calyx is usually green and foliaceous, but becomes delicate and petaloid in such flowers as the anemone and the four-o'clock. Each leaf of the calyx is called a sepal.
(Anat.) A cuplike division of the pelvis of the kidney, which surrounds one or more of the renal papilæ.