[raf-i-deez] 
, ra⋅phis [rey-fis] . Botany. | acicular crystals, usually composed of calcium oxalate, that occur in bundles in the cells of many plants. |
| ra·phide (rā'fīd) n. pl. raph·i·des (rāf'ĭ-dēz') One of a bundle of needlelike crystals of calcium oxalate occurring in many plant cells. [French, sing. of raphides, from New Latin, from Greek rhaphides, pl. of rhaphis, needle, from rhaptein, to sew; see wer-2 in Indo-European roots.] |
| raphide (rā'fīd) Pronunciation Key
Plural raphides (rāf'ĭ-dēz') One of a bundle of needlelike crystals of calcium oxalate occurring in many plant cells. The crystals discourage animals from eating the plant by irritating their tissues. |