Early 19th century; earliest use found in The Annual Register. From scientific Latin polypetalus (Tournefort 1694) from poly- + petalum. Compare French polypétale, Italian polipetalo.
Definition of polypetal in US English:
polypetal
adjectiveˈpɒlɪpɛtl
Botany rare
= polypetalous.
Origin
Early 19th century; earliest use found in The Annual Register. From scientific Latin polypetalus (Tournefort 1694) from poly- + petalum. Compare French polypétale, Italian polipetalo.