capitulum Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a dense cluster of flowers or foliage
    head.
    • a head of cauliflower
    • a head of lettuce
  2. noun fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn
    ear; spike.
  3. noun an arrangement of leafy branches forming the top or head of a tree

WordNet

Ca*pit"u*lum noun
Etymology
L., a small head.
Wordforms
plural Capitula
Definitions
  1. A thick head of flowers on a very short axis, as a clover top, or a dandelion; a composite flower. A capitulum may be either globular or flat. Gray.
  2. (Anat.) A knobike protuberance of any part, esp. at the end of a bone or cartilage. See Illust. of Artiodactyla.

Webster 1913