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Glite Dictionary
floral cup

floral cup

7.6
A cuplike part at the base of a flower that holds small parts like petals and stamens
  • noun
  • /ˈflɔrəl kʌp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : copa floral
  • The floral cup of the lily is quite beautiful.

Examples

  • Botanists examined the structure of the floral cup to identify the plant species.

  • In some plants, nectar accumulates at the base of the floral cup.

  • The floral cup supports both the sepals and petals in many members of the rose family.

  • Many floral cups can be found in tropical plants.

  • The gardener chose beautiful floral cups for the new flower arrangements.

  • Each floral cup displayed intricate designs of blooming flowers.

  • The teacher explained that every floral cup in the bouquet represented a different species of plant.

Synonyms

hypanthium
vsfloral cup
  • Specialized
9.9

A cup or tube on a flower that holds petals and stamens

is a more general cuplike floral part often bearing those organs across families
calyx tube
vsfloral cup
  • Specialized
9.9

A tube-shaped part of a flower that holds the leaf-like parts under the petals, often seen in roses

is a broader term used for similar structures in several plant families

Surface Forms

floral cup singular
floral cups plural

Morphology

floral + cup

The meaning is directly built from 'floral' (relating to flowers) and 'cup' (a hollow, bowl-shaped part), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a cup-shaped part of a flower. The detailed botanical role (sepals, stamens, calyx) is technical, but the core shape/function is transparently compositional and cross-linguistically straightforward.

Etymology

The noun floral cup comes from a simple picture: a small, cup-shaped part of a flower that sits at the base and holds the sepals, the pollen-making stamens and sometimes the calyx. Imagine a tiny cup made by the floral parts, so the name tells you it 'holds' or 'supports' those parts.