ˈliˌgyül noun
( -s )
Etymology: New Latin ligula, from Latin, spoon; akin to Latin lingere to lick — more at lick
1.
a. : a thin appendage of a foliage leaf ; especially : one forming a membranous projection from the top of the leaf sheath of a grass
b. : a ligulate corolla of a ray floret in a composite head
c. : a membranous scale on the leaf above the sporangium in Selaginella and Isoetes
d. : a scale associated with the ovule in Araucaria
2. : a lobe like a tongue on the parapodia of an annelid