Meaning & use
pinnate leaf
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
A leaf made of several small leaflets arranged in two rows along each side of a central stem, like a feather.
Grammar: Countable: one pinnate leaf, two pinnate leaves. The plural changes -f to -ves.
Patterns
- a pinnate leaf with something
- the pinnate leaves of something
The rose bush has pinnate leaves with five to seven leaflets.
In the diagram, the pinnate leaf looks like a feather because the leaflets grow in pairs along the stem.
Students examined a pinnate leaf under the microscope to see the veins.
Word forms
| plural | pinnate leaves |
|---|
Common combinations
- pinnate leaf arrangement
- The pinnate leaf arrangement helps the plant catch more sunlight.
- compound pinnate leaf
- A compound pinnate leaf is divided into many separate leaflets.
- pinnate leaves of the ash tree
- The pinnate leaves of the ash tree turn yellow in autumn.
Synonyms and how they differ
- feathery leaf
- A plain descriptive phrase rather than a technical term; it is less precise because it does not say how the leaflets are arranged.
Word family
- pinnate adjective
- Describing a leaf or frond shaped like a feather with leaflets on both sides of a stem.
- pinnately adverb
- In a feather-like arrangement, as in 'pinnately compound'.
Commonly confused: pinnate leaf or palmate leaf?
pinnate leaf vs palmate leaf
A palmate leaf has leaflets spreading from one point like fingers on a hand, while a pinnate leaf has them along a central stem.
Practice
Which description best matches a pinnate leaf?
Choose one answer.
A pinnate leaf has leaflets in two rows along a central stem, like a feather. Option 1 describes a simple leaf, and option 2 describes a palmate leaf, which is a different arrangement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pinnate leaf”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.