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cirri - 7 dictionary results

cir⋅ri

  [sir-ahy]
Use cirri in a Sentence
–noun Botany, Zoology.
a pl. of cirrus.

cirri-

 
var. of cirro-.

cir⋅rus

  [sir-uhs]
–noun, plural cir⋅rus for 1, cir⋅ri  [sir-ahy] for 2, 3.
1. Meteorology.
a. a cloud of a class characterized by thin white filaments or narrow bands and a composition of ice crystals: of high altitude, ab. 20,000–40,000 ft. (6000–12,000 m).
b. a cirriform cloud.
2. Botany. a tendril.
3. Zoology.
a. a filament or slender appendage serving as a foot, tentacle, barbel, etc.
b. the male copulatory organ of flatworms and various other invertebrates.
Origin:
1700–10; < L: a curl, tuft, plant filament like a tuft of hair

cirro-

 
a combining form representing cirrus in compound words: cirrostratus.
Also, cirri-.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cirri
cir·ri   (sîr'ī')   
n.  Plural of cirrus.
cir·rus   (sîr'əs)   
n.   pl. cir·ri (sîr'ī')
  1. A high-altitude cloud composed of narrow bands or patches of thin, generally white, fleecy parts.
  2. Biology
    1. A tendril or similar part.
    2. A slender flexible appendage, such as the fused cilia of certain protozoans.

[Latin, curl of hair.]
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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cirrus   (sîr'əs)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural cirri (sîr'ī')
A high-altitude cloud composed of feathery white patches or bands of ice crystals. Cirrus clouds generally form between 6,100 and 12,200 m (20,000 and 40,000 ft). See illustration at cloud.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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