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View synonyms for caruncle

caruncle

[ kar-uhng-kuhl, kuh-ruhng- ]

noun

  1. Botany. a protuberance at or surrounding the hilum of a seed.
  2. Zoology. a fleshy excrescence, as on the head of a bird; a fowl's comb.
  3. Anatomy. a small, fleshy growth.


caruncle

/ kəˈrʌŋ-; -ˌleɪt; kəˈrʌŋkjʊlɪt; kəˈrʌŋkjʊlə; ˈkærəŋkəl /

noun

  1. a fleshy outgrowth on the heads of certain birds, such as a cock's comb
  2. an outgrowth near the hilum on the seeds of some plants
  3. any small fleshy mass in or on the body, either natural or abnormal
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • caruncular, adjective
  • carunculate, adjective
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Other Words From

  • ca·run·cu·lar [k, uh, -, ruhng, -ky, uh, -ler], ca·runcu·lous adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of caruncle1

1605–15; earlier caruncula < Latin: small piece of flesh, diminutive of carō (genitive carnis ) flesh; for suffix, carbuncle
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Word History and Origins

Origin of caruncle1

C17: from obsolete French caruncule, from Latin caruncula a small piece of flesh, from carō flesh
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Example Sentences

For example, males will drain all the blood from the caruncles so they’re as white as a sheet of paper, Dr. Buchholz said.

Here’s another fun fact: Male turkeys, called toms, have bald, featherless heads with all sorts of dangling skin flaps and knobs known as the snood, the wattle and caruncles.

In the developing embryo, the beak originates near the caruncle and then gradually expands backward.

After about 60 days of incubation inside their eggs, turtle hatchlings use a temporary tooth called a caruncle to break out of their shells.

The head and caruncles on the neck of the male are, when excited, of the same blue and scarlet hues.

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