n.
Pronunciation: ' li-( ˌ )gyül
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin ligula, from Latin, small tongue, strap, from lingere to lick ― more at LICK
Date: circa 1847
: a scalelike projection especially on a plant: as a : a thin appendage of a foliage leaf and especially of the sheath of a blade of grass b : a ligulate corolla of a ray floret in a composite head