Standard Lemma guide

pericarp

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈpɛɹɪˌkɑːp/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈpɛɹɪˌkɑɹp/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The outermost layer, or skin, of a ripe fruit or ovary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: carpodermis

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The outer layer of anything.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the ripened and variously modified walls of a plant ovary

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: seed vessel

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: covering, natural covering, cover

Narrower terms: epicarp, exocarp, mesocarp, stone, pit, endocarp, capsule, bur, burr

History

Etymology

From French péricarpe, from New Latin pericarpium, from Ancient Greek περικάρπιον (perikárpion, “pod, husk, shell”), from περι- (peri-, “around”) + καρπός (karpós, “fruit”). By surface analysis, peri- + -carp.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: околопло́дник (okoloplódnik) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Bulgarian: перика́рп (perikárp) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Catalan: pericarpi — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Chinese Mandarin: 果皮 (guǒpí) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Czech: oplodí — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Dutch: pericarp — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Finnish: perikarppi — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Finnish: hedelmän seinä — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • French: péricarpe — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • German: Perikarp — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Greek: περικάρπιο (perikárpio) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Ancient Greek: περικάρπιον (perikárpion) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Ido: perikarpo — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Italian: pericarpo — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Japanese: 果皮 (kahi) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Korean: 과피 (gwapi) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Macedonian: околуплодник (okoluplodnik) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Macedonian: перикарп (perikarp) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Manx: ym-charp — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Polish: owocnia — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Polish: perykarp — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Portuguese: pericarpo — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Romanian: pericarp — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Russian: околопло́дник (okoloplódnik) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Russian: перика́рпий (perikárpij) — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Spanish: pericarpio — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Swedish: perikarp — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Swedish: fruktvägg — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Tagalog: balok — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Vietnamese: vỏ quả — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
  • Welsh: pericarp — outermost layer of a ripe fruit or ovary
Real reading context

pericarp in complete knowledge articles