What does "petiole" mean?

The stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem.

What is a synonym for "petiole"?

Common synonyms include: pedicel, axis, bole, cane, leafstalk, mesopodium.

//ˈpɛti.oʊl// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem.
"Most insects consume tissue from the leaf blade were measured just past the twist on the side away only, leaving the leaf petioles unscathed."
2
the slender stem that supports the blade of a leaf wordnet
3
A narrow or constricted segment of the body of an insect; especially, the metasomal segment of certain Hymenoptera, such as wasps.
4
The stalk at the base of the nest of the paper wasp.

"Most insects consume tissue from the leaf blade were measured just past the twist on the side away only, leaving the leaf petioles unscathed."

Borrowed from French pétiole, and its source, Late Latin petiolus (“little foot”), diminutive form of Latin pēs (“foot”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.