Dictionary entry

Perianth

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Per″i‐anth (pĕr″ĭ‐ănth), n. [Pref. peri- + Gr. ανθοσ̓ flower: cf. F. périanthe.] (Bot.) (a) The leaves of a flower generally, especially when the calyx and corolla are not readily distinguished. (b) A saclike involucre which incloses the young fruit in most hepatic mosses. See Illust. of Hepatica.