From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Peduncle \Pe*dun"cle\, noun [Formed fr. (assumed) L. pedunculus, dim. of pes, pedis, a foot: cf. F. p['e]doncule.]
1. (Bot.) The stem or stalk that supports the flower or fruit of a plant, or a cluster of flowers or fruits.
Note: 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. (Zo["o]l.) 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.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: the thin process of tissue that attaches a polyp to the body
2: stalk bearing an inflorescence or solitary flower
3: a bundle of myelinated neurons joining different parts of the brain [syn: {cerebral peduncle}]
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