Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
filament - 7 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.
Cite This Source

Filament

Fil"a*ment\, n. [F. filament, fr. L. filum thread. See File a row.] A thread or threadlike object or appendage; a fiber; esp. (Bot.), the threadlike part of the stamen supporting the anther.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : filament
Spanish: filamento,
German: der Faden,
Japanese: フィラメント
More Translations »

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
Cite This Source

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.
Cite This Source

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.
Cite This Source
filament   (fĭl'ə-mənt)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A fine or slender thread, wire, or fiber.
  2. The part of a stamen that supports the anther of a flower; the stalk of a stamen. See more at flower.
    1. A fine wire that gives off radiation when an electric current is passed through it, usually to provide light, as in an incandescent bulb, or to provide heat, as in a vacuum tube.
    2. A wire that acts as the cathode in some electron tubes when it is heated with an electric current.
  4. Any of the dark, sinuous lines visible through certain filters on the disk of the Sun. Filaments are solar prominences that are viewed against the solar surface rather than being silhouetted along the outer edges of the disk. See more at prominence.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see filament on Thesaurus | Reference