Meaning
Any component of the perianth (outermost whorls of flower parts, not involved in reproduction), especially when the components are not distinguished into sepals and petals.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
From French tépale, from New Latin tēpalum, coined 1827 by transposition of French pétale (“petal”).
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2020, 2025.