noun
stigma
The part of a flower that receives pollen.
The flower's sticky stigma catches pollen carried by a bee.
Etymology
Greek stigma means a mark or puncture. Botany applied the word to the receptive area at the tip of the pistil where pollen lands.
More examples
- She brushes pollen onto the stigma with a small paintbrush.
- The stigma sits at the tip of the flower's pistil.
- Under the microscope, we see pollen grains on the stigma.
Forms
stigma · stigmas · stigmata