the female ovule-bearing part of a flower composed of ovary and style and stigma
A discrete organ in the center of a flower capable of receiving pollen and producing a fruit, it is divided into an ovary, style and stigma.
The word pistil was borrowed from French, where it originally referred to a small hammer or mallet used for crushing materials. It is considered a doublet of the English words "pestle" and "pistillum," which share the same origin.