chalaza

[ kuh-ley-zuh ]

noun,plural cha·la·zas, cha·la·zae [kuh-ley-zee]. /kəˈleɪ zi/.
  1. Zoology. one of the two albuminous twisted cords which fasten an egg yolk to the shell membrane.

  2. Botany. the point of an ovule or seed where the integuments are united to the nucellus.

Origin of chalaza

1
1695–1705; <New Latin <Greek: hail, lump

Other words from chalaza

  • cha·la·zal, cha·la·zi·an [kuh-ley-zee-uhn], /kəˈleɪ zi ən/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for chalaza

chalaza

/ (kəˈleɪzə) /


nounplural -zas or -zae (-ziː)
  1. one of a pair of spiral threads of albumen holding the yolk of a bird's egg in position

  2. the basal part of a plant ovule, where the integuments and nucellus are joined

Origin of chalaza

1
C18: New Latin, from Greek: hailstone

Derived forms of chalaza

  • chalazal, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for chalaza

chalaza

[ kə-lā ]


Plural chalazae (kə-lā) chalazas
  1. One of two spiral bands of tissue in an egg that connect the yolk to the lining membrane at either end of the shell.

  2. The region of a plant ovule that is opposite the micropyle, where the integuments and nucellus are joined.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.