midrib

Noun

midrib (plural midribs)

1. The strengthened vein down the middle of a flower petal or simple leaf or leaflet.
   • The midribs of the immense leaves form one of the most useful articles in these lands, supplying the place of bamboo, to which for many purposes they are superior.1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 117

   Synonyms:

   middle rib, midvein

2. The continuation of the petiole of a pinnately compound leaf around which the leaflets attach.

   Synonyms:

   middle rib, rachis

3. The shaft of a feather.
   • They first appear as two ordinary feathers, rather shorter than the rest of the tail; the second stage would no doubt be that shown in a specimen of Paradisea apoda, in which the feathers are moderately lengthened, and with the web narrowed in the middle; the third stage is shown by a specimen...1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 389