n.
- Biology. A small stalk or stalklike structure, especially one supporting or connecting an organ or other body part. Also called pedicel.
- Medicine.
- A slender footlike or stemlike part, as at the base of a tumor.
- Part of a skin or tissue graft that is left temporarily attached to the original site.
[Latin pediculus, diminutive of pēs, ped-, foot. See pedicel.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.