Mucron

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small, sharp-pointed projection or tip, often found at the end of a leaf, spine, or anatomical structure; a brief pointed extension resembling a tiny spine; the terminal sharp point on botanical or zoological parts
2. A minute pointed tip or spine that extends from the end of an organ or structure, typically in plants or animals; a narrow, abruptly pointed apex resembling a tiny spine; the fine terminal sharpness seen in certain leaves or anatomical features
3. A tiny, spine-like projection at the extremity of a leaf, spine, or anatomical part; a short, sharp-pointed protrusion resembling a minute sting or tip; the pointed end characteristic of some botanical or zoological elements

Etymology: Latin "mucro" meant the sharp point of a sword or dagger, and it also carried a secondary sense of the sword itself. English took the word over with the same core idea: a tip that ends in a point. Because a sharp point is a useful thing to name in plants and animals, botanists and zoologists later applied it to the tiny tips on leaves, the stiff pointed ends of insect wing parts, and similar structures. English has a second, closer cousin of this word. "Mucro" and "mucron" are doublets, meaning two forms of one Latin source that entered English by separate routes, so the same ancient point of a blade survives in both. The modern scientific sense is the one most readers will meet, and it keeps the original idea of a sharp end intact.

Synonyms: point, tip, spike, mucro, projection