Pericarp

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: pe + ri + carp
• UK IPA: /ˈpɛɹɪˌkɑːp/

Origin

From French péricarpe, from Latin pericarpium, from Ancient Greek περικάρπιον (perikarpion, "pod, husk, shell"), from περί (peri, "around") + καρπός (karpos, "fruit"). Alternatively, - + carp + -.

Full definition of pericarp

Noun

1. (botany) The outermost layer, or skin, of a ripe fruit or ovary.
2. (rare, figurative) The outer layer of any thing.
• 1974, Guy Davenport, Tatlin!:He learned, afternoon after afternoon, how to edge her into delicious frenzies, how to tremble the clitoris, pericarp, and tip.

Related terms

• endocarp
• mesocarp

Anagrams

• crappier