caruncle
Americannoun
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Botany. a protuberance at or surrounding the hilum of a seed.
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Zoology. a fleshy excrescence, as on the head of a bird; a fowl's comb.
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Anatomy. a small, fleshy growth.
noun
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a fleshy outgrowth on the heads of certain birds, such as a cock's comb
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an outgrowth near the hilum on the seeds of some plants
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any small fleshy mass in or on the body, either natural or abnormal
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of caruncle
1605–15; earlier caruncula < Latin: small piece of flesh, diminutive of carō (genitive carnis ) flesh; for suffix, see carbuncle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Every portrait depicts a pale woman with a sharp nose, bow lips, slightly receding chin, and dark eyes with a pink lacrimal caruncle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
The caruncle remains on the beak for a variable length of time, but never is present in the spring following hatching.
From Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz by John M. Legler
In one of the rails, Gallicrex cristatus, a large red caruncle is developed during this period on the head of the male.
From The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
The role of the caruncle in opening the shell seems to vary among different species of turtles.
From Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz by John M. Legler
Few individuals retained the caruncle when they entered hibernation late in November, and none retained it upon emergence from hibernation.
From Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz by John M. Legler
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
