Pe*dun"cle (?), n. [Formed fr. (assumed) L. pedunculus, dim. of pes, pedis, a foot: cf. F. p'edoncule.]
1. Bot.
The stem or stalk that supports the flower or fruit of a plant, or a cluster of flowers or fruits.
⇒ The ultimate divisions or branches of a peduncle are called pedicels. In the case of a solitary flower, the stalk would be called a peduncle if the flower is large, and a pedicel if it is small or delicate.
2. Zool.
A sort of stem by which certain shells and barnacles are attached to other objects. See Illust. of Barnacle.
3. Anat.
A band of nervous or fibrous matter connecting different parts of the brain; as, the peduncles of the cerebellum; the peduncles of the pineal gland.
© Webster 1913.