aril
/ˈærɪl/ noun
Forms arils arillus
- noun (botany) A tissue surrounding the seed in certain fruits such as pomegranates.
Etymology
1785. From New Latin arillus (compare modern French arille and the English doublet arillus), from Medieval Latin arilli.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A exterior covering, forming a false coat or appendage to a seed, as the loose, transparent bag inclosing the seed or the white water lily. The mace of the nutmeg is also an aril. Gray.
Etymology [From LL. arilli dry grapes, perh. fr. L. aridus dry: cf. F,. arille.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “aril”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details