petal
n. countablen. one of the soft, colorful parts of a flower that make it look pretty. You often see them fall off when a flower gets old.
n. one of the modified leaves that form the corolla of a flower, typically brightly colored to attract pollinators.
The rose dropped a single red petal onto the table.
Bees are naturally drawn to the bright yellow petals of the sunflower as they search for nectar.
The delicate structure of the orchid's petals has evolved specifically to guide insects toward the pollen, ensuring the plant's reproductive success through highly specialized interactions.
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πέταλον (pétalon), from πέταλος (pétalos, “broad, flat”), from Proto-Hellenic pétalos, from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- (“to spread out”), whence Latin pandō and Proto-Germanic *faþmaz (“embrace”) (English fathom).
Commonly used in the plural when describing the appearance of a bloom.