pärˈmēlēə, -lyə noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, probably irregular from Latin parma small shield
: a large genus (the type of the family Parmeliaceae) of chiefly alpine foliaceous lichens having cortex on both surfaces of a closely appressed thallus and including several that are important sources of purple and brown dyestuffs especially in Scotland, Wales, and Scandinavia — see crottle