n.
Pronunciation: t ə - ' p ē -t ə m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ta · pe · ta \ - ' p ē -t ə \
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin tapete carpet, tapestry, from Greek tap ē t-, tap ē s carpet
Date: 1713
1 : any of various reflective membranous layers or areas especially of the choroid and retina of the eye
2 : a layer of nutritive cells that invests the sporogenous tissue in the sporangium of vascular plants