pistil Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun the female ovule-bearing part of a flower composed of ovary and style and stigma

L. pistillum, pistillus, a pestle: cf. F. pistil. See Pestle.

(Bot.) The seed-bearing organ of a flower. It consists of an ovary, containing the ovules or rudimentary seeds, and a stigma, which is commonly raised on an elongated portion called a style. When composed of one carpel a pistil is simple; when composed of several, it is compound. See Illust. of Flower, and Ovary.