calyx
/ˈkeɪlɪks/
noun
- The outer part of a flower, made up of sepals, that protects the flower bud before it opens.
- She carefully peeled back the green calyx to reveal the bright yellow petals.
- Before the flower blooms, the calyx covers and shields the delicate bud.
- The rose's calyx was still tightly closed, protecting the petals inside.
- A cup-shaped structure or cavity in an animal or plant body, such as in a kidney or a coral.
- The biologist examined the calyx of the sea anemone under a microscope.
- The kidney's calyx collects urine before it passes into the ureter.
- Each coral polyp lives in a small cup called a calyx.