pellicle

[ pel-i-kuhl ]

noun

1. a thin skin or membrane; film; scum.
2. SCOBY ( def ).
3. Photography. a thin, partially reflective coating, as on a beam splitter or pellicle mirror.

pellicle

/ pɛˈlɪkjʊlə; ˈpɛlɪkəl /

noun

1. a thin skin or film
2. the hard protective outer layer of certain protozoans, such as those of the genus Paramecium
3. botany
   1. the thin outer layer of a mushroom cap
   2. a growth on the surface of a liquid culture
4. photog the thin layer of emulsion covering a plate, film, or paper

Derived Forms

• pellicular, adjective

Other Words From

• pel·lic·u·lar [p, uh, -, lik, -y, uh, -ler], pel·lic·u·late [p, uh, -, lik, -y, uh, -lit, -leyt], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pellicle¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin pellicul(a), equivalent to pelli(s) “skin” + -cula noun suffix ( -cle ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of pellicle¹

C16: via French from Latin pellicula, from pellis skin

Example Sentences

Mosses have the most simple seed, consisting only of the germ, without pellicle, and without lobes.

From Project Gutenberg

Prepare gelatine and agar plates in the usual way from such of these tubes as show pellicle formation.

From Project Gutenberg

The slight pellicle which coats over milk when it is warmed is of the same composition.

From Project Gutenberg

It is, in reality, a thin pellicle of semi-transparent horn secreted by the cells of the perioplic ring.

From Project Gutenberg

While the egg is fastened to the ovarium, it derives its nutriment from the vessel of the common pellicle.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fur
• leather
• skin
• wool