sessile

/ˈsɛsɪl/
adjective
  1. Attached directly by the base, without a stem or stalk.
    • In the forest, we found a mushroom with a sessile cap that had no visible stem.
    • The botanist explained that sessile flowers are those that sit directly on the main branch.
    • The sessile leaves of the plant grow right from the stem without any leafstalk.
  2. Permanently attached to a surface and not able to move freely.
    • Barnacles are sessile creatures that spend their adult lives stuck to rocks or ship hulls.
    • Coral reefs are built by sessile animals called polyps that stay fixed in one place.
    • Unlike fish, sponges are sessile and filter food from the water without moving.
What does "sessile" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean