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Follicle

 - 5 dictionary results

fol⋅li⋅cle

[fol-i-kuhl]
–noun
1. Anatomy.
a. a small cavity, sac, or gland.
b. one of the small ovarian sacs containing an immature ovum; Graafian follicle.
2. Botany. a dry seed vessel, or pod, consisting of a single carpel, splitting at maturity only along the front part of the suture.

Origin:
1640–50; < L folliculus small bag, shell, pod. See follis, -cle 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Follicle
fol·li·cle   (fŏl'ĭ-kəl)   
n.  
  1. Anatomy

    1. A small bodily cavity or sac.

    2. A crypt or minute cul-de-sac or lacuna, such as the depression in the skin from which the hair emerges.

    3. An ovarian follicle.

    4. A spherical mass of cells usually containing a cavity.

  2. Botany A dry, single-chambered fruit that splits along only one seam to release its seeds, as in larkspur and milkweed.


[Latin folliculus, little bag, diminutive of follis, bellows; see bhel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

follicle 
1646, from L. folliculus "little bag," dim. of follis "bellows, inflated ball," from PIE *bhol-n-, suffixed form of *bhel- "to blow, swell" (see bole).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fol·li·cle
Pronunciation: 'fäl-i-k&l
Function: noun
1 : a small anatomical cavity or deep narrow-moutheddepression; especially : a small simple or slightly branched gland : CRYPT
2 : asmall lymph node
3 : a vesicle in the mammalian ovary that contains a developing egg surrounded by a covering of cells : OVARIAN FOLLICLE; especially : GRAAFIAN FOLLICLEfol·lic·u·lar /f&-'lik-y&-l&r, fä-/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

follicle fol·li·cle (fŏl'ĭ-kəl)
n.

  1. A small bodily cavity or sac.

  2. A crypt or minute cul-de-sac or lacuna, such as the depression in the skin from which the hair emerges.

  3. An ovarian follicle.

  4. A spherical mass of cells usually containing a cavity.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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