# Have you heard of this word? (Second time) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2025, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436 "2025-04-24T10:30:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/1 "2025-04-24T10:30:49Z")
So I’m still playing Wordle (UK dictionary) and up comes: sepal I got it - but only by luck. Do you know it? Honestly, I was paying attention at school (which was from 1957 - 1971 😉) For reference, here’s my previous thread… [Have you heard of this word? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word/1016988/66) ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/2 "2025-04-24T10:41:04Z")
do you have a definition? IANAH but in horticulture: sepals are beneath petals in a flower. they’re green and like leaves, but part of flower. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/3 "2025-04-24T10:50:37Z")
I know it, but maybe only because it comes up in crossword puzzles occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/4 "2025-04-24T11:29:42Z")
Never heard of it here. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/5 "2025-04-24T11:41:56Z")
Yep. From about 50 years ago in Botany 101. And lots of crosswords since then. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/6 "2025-04-24T11:48:35Z")
Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/7 "2025-04-24T11:48:45Z")
Huh. I do daily crosswords, and I guess it’s one of those words that I fill in from the crosses (orthogonal clues), as it’s never stuck. I mainly stick with the New York Times, and going back to 1994, it’s appeared 35 times, so just over once a year on average, mostly late-week puzzles (which are more difficult.) Last time it appeared was in November of 2023. Also checked the original word lists for US Wordle (which the NYTimes later curated, so some changes were made), and it, like “codon” from the thread before, is not on the target word list, but is included as an acceptable guess. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/8 "2025-04-24T13:20:47Z")
Learned it in high school biology ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/9 "2025-04-24T13:29:12Z")
I’m a teacher, and I encountered the word for the first time yesterday in one of my class textbooks. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/10 "2025-04-24T13:31:12Z")
Learned it in HS bio class looong ago. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/11 "2025-04-24T13:44:50Z")
I’m curious – why are you spoilering the word when it’s impossible to answer your question without knowing the word? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/12 "2025-04-24T13:52:58Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > why are you spoilering the word when it’s impossible to answer your question without knowing the word? To give clairvoyants a fair chance. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/13 "2025-04-24T14:25:34Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I’m curious – why are you spoilering the word when it’s impossible to answer your question without knowing the word? Simple explanation - I meant to post originally that I reached the state of: SE?AL and had no idea how to continue… (Luckily one of my previous guesses gave me the P.) Apologies for messing up 😨 - but thanks for all your responses. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/14 "2025-04-24T14:29:32Z")
Do I know it? It was the answer to a clue in a crossword puzzle I did yesterday. And my knowledge of it predates doing crosswords. Going back to grade school (I guess that level would be called “middle school” today) it was part of a plant diagram where we had to learn all the terms. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/15 "2025-04-24T14:30:33Z")
Yup, learned it in biology at school. I’ve probably seen it mentioned occasionally since. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/16 "2025-04-24T14:42:04Z")
Yup. Don’t remember when I learned it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/17 "2025-04-24T14:46:26Z")
I probably learned it from crossword puzzles. If I had learned it in a Biology class, I probably would have forgotten it if it didn’t frequently rear its head in puzzles. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/18 "2025-04-24T15:47:00Z")
I might not have been able to define it with precision, but would have said, “it’s like a petal.” I’ve known it since school days. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/19 "2025-04-24T16:11:56Z")
I once had a green rose, which is a mutation where all of the flower petals were replaced by sepals. It stayed small and died after a few years, I don’t know if the cultivar is inherently weak or if I had a dud individual. > **[Green Rose (Rosa viridiflora) Plant | Mountain Valley Growers](https://mountainvalleygrowers.com/organic-plants/rosa-viridiflora-green-rose/)** > > More Information ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436/20 "2025-04-24T18:15:12Z")
Learned it in biology, too. Probably forgot it soon after, too. But any backyard gardener will encounter it frequently, and someone who does word puzzles gets hit with it as a nice, useful word with all common letters. Unlike codon it’s been in the language for 200 years. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-this-word-second-time/1017436.md?page=2)