filament

[fil-uh-muhnt]

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.

filament

/ -trɪ, ˌfɪləˈmɛntərɪ, ˈfɪləmənt /

noun

1. the thin wire, usually tungsten, inside a light bulb that emits light when heated to incandescence by an electric current

2. electronics a high-resistance wire or ribbon, forming the cathode in some valves

3. a single strand of a natural or synthetic fibre; fibril

4. botany

   1. the stalk of a stamen

   2. any of the long slender chains of cells into which some algae and fungi are divided

5. ornithol the barb of a down feather

6. anatomy any slender structure or part, such as the tail of a spermatozoon; filum

7. astronomy

   1. a long structure of relatively cool material in the solar corona

   2. a long large-scale cluster of galaxies

filament

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.

3. See more at flower

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. See more at prominence

Other Word Forms

• filamented adjective
• filamentary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of filament¹

1585–95; < New Latin fīlāmentum, equivalent to Late Latin fīlā ( re ) to wind thread, spin ( file ¹ ) + Latin -mentum -ment

Word History and Origins

Origin of filament¹

C16: from New Latin fīlāmentum , from Medieval Latin fīlāre to spin, from Latin fīlum thread

Example Sentences

If we love fiercely, our ancestors live among and speak to us through these incandescent filaments glowing from the warmth of memories.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

DIAPH1 helps form actin filaments, which are part of the cell's internal structure.

Read more on Science Daily

Using samples from Roscoff and a second collection in Bilbao, Spain, the team conducted one of the most comprehensive studies ever of the cytoskeleton -- the filament network that supports and organizes eukaryotic cells.

Read more on Science Daily

"We also found that tiny thread-like structures called mesenterial filaments play a bigger role and are more diverse than we previously thought," Dr. Lewis said.

Read more on Science Daily

Tokuda and the other scientists wanted to understand if filaments, or threadlike fibers, form during star formation, as this reveals key details about their density and overall composition.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• fiber 
• thread