noun
- small cup-shaped structures, especially the cup-like bases that hold acorns and other nuts
Usage: botanical
Examples
- The acorns sat snugly in their woody cupules.
- Oak trees produce cupules that protect the developing nuts.
- The cupules fell to the ground along with the mature acorns.
- Botanists study the different shapes of cupules across tree species.
- The squirrel removed the acorn from its cupule before eating it.
- Cupules vary in size depending on the type of oak tree.