odd-pinnate leaf
- noun
- Specialized
- You can identify an odd-pinnate leaf by counting the leaflets—there will always be an odd number.
Examples
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The ash tree is known for its odd-pinnate leaf structure, with a single leaflet at the tip.
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An odd-pinnate leaf typically features a single terminal leaflet.
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Botanists distinguish between even-pinnate and odd-pinnate leaf forms when classifying certain species.
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The odd-pinnate leaf has a unique structure.
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The ash tree is known for its odd-pinnate leaf structure, with a single leaflet at the tip.
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You can identify an odd-pinnate leaf by counting the leaflets—there will always be an odd number.
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An odd-pinnate leaf typically features a single terminal leaflet.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'odd-pinnate' (having a single terminal leaflet / an odd number of leaflets) modifies 'leaf', so the overall meaning — a leaf with a terminal leaflet producing an odd number of leaflets — follows immediately from the parts. Although botanical terms are specialised, the adjective+noun structure and literal semantics make this immediately derivable for learners who know the constituent meanings.
Etymology
Odd-pinnate leaf names a leaf that has many small leaflets along a central stem and one extra leaflet at the tip. Pinnate means the leaflets line up like a feather, and odd shows the leaf has an 'odd number' of leaflets because of that single tip leaflet.