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Glite Dictionary
🦟 A tiny sucker 🌰 A cup base
cupule

cupule

9.9
A hard cup-shaped base that holds and partly covers an acorn
  • noun
  • /ˈkjuːpjuːl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cúpula
  • The cupule of the acorn protects the seed from predators until it is ready to germinate.

Examples

  • The cupule protects the developing acorn until it is mature.

  • The cupule protects the acorn as it develops.

  • Botanists examined the cupule structure to identify the species of oak.

  • Each acorn is held in place by a woody cupule at its base.

  • Many oak trees produce cupules each year.

  • As autumn approaches, the cupules turn brown and fall to the ground along with the acorns they support.

  • Each acorn is surrounded by a cupule that helps keep the seeds safe during their early development.

Synonyms

cup
vscupule
103 1.3

A hollow part of something that holds or supports another part

refers specifically to hardened bracts that enclose or support a nut
acorn cup
vscupule
8.4

A hard hollow base at the bottom of an acorn that partly holds the nut

is the specific term used for this hardened bract structure

Surface Forms

cupule singular
cupules plural

Morphology

cupule = cup (semi-transparent) = cup + ule

The word is formally 'cup' + diminutive '-ule' meaning 'small cup'; the morphological relation is clear in shape but the specific botanical function is specialized vocabulary.

Etymology

Cupule comes from the Latin cupula, which means 'little cup' and is the same root as the English cup. So a cupule is the small, hard cup at the base of an acorn that holds and protects it.