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filament

 - 5 dictionary results

fil⋅a⋅ment

  [fil-uh-muhnt]
Use filament in a Sentence
–noun
1. a very fine thread or threadlike structure; a fiber or fibril: filaments of gold.
2. a single fibril of natural or synthetic textile fiber, of indefinite length, sometimes several miles long.
3. a long slender cell or series of attached cells, as in some algae and fungi.
4. Botany. the stalklike portion of a stamen, supporting the anther.
5. Ornithology. the barb of a down feather.
6. (in a light bulb or other incandescent lamp) the threadlike conductor, often of tungsten, in the bulb that is heated to incandescence by the passage of current.
7. Electronics. the heating element (sometimes also acting as a cathode) of a vacuum tube, resembling the filament in an incandescent bulb.
8. Astronomy. a solar prominence, as viewed within the sun's limb.
Origin:
1585–95; < NL fīlāmentum, equiv. to LL fīlā(re) to wind thread, spin (see file 1 ) + L -mentum -ment

Related forms:
fil⋅a⋅ment⋅ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To filament
fil·a·ment   (fĭl'ə-mənt)   
n.  

  1. A fine or thinly spun thread, fiber, or wire.

  2. Botany

    1. The stalk that bears the anther in a stamen.

    2. A chainlike series of cells, as in many algae.

    3. A fine wire heated electrically to incandescence in an electric lamp.

    4. Electronics A high-resistance wire or ribbon forming the cathode in some thermionic tubes.

    1. A fine wire heated electrically to incandescence in an electric lamp.

    2. Electronics A high-resistance wire or ribbon forming the cathode in some thermionic tubes.


[New Latin fīlāmentum, from Late Latin fīlāre, to spin, from Latin fīlum, thread; see gwhī- in Indo-European roots.]
fil'a·men'tous (-měn'təs), fil'a·men'ta·ry (-měn'tə-rē, -měn'trē) adj.
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

filament 
1594, from Mod.L. filamentum, from L.L. filare "to spin, draw out in a long line," from L. filum "thread" (see file (v)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fil·a·ment
Pronunciation: 'fil-&-m&nt
Function: noun
: a single thread or a thin flexible threadlike object, process, orappendage; especially : an elongated thin series of cells attached one to another or a very long thin cylindrical single cell (as of some algae, fungi, or bacteria) —fil·a·men·tous /"fil-&-'ment-&s/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

filament fil·a·ment (fĭl'ə-mənt)
n.
A fibril, fine fiber, or threadlike structure.

fil'a·men'tous (-měn'təs) or fil'a·men'ta·ry (-měn'tə-rē, -měn'trē) adj.

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