chalaza

American  

[kuh-ley-zuh] / kəˈleɪ zə /

noun

plural

chalazas, chalazae

1. Zoology. one of the two albuminous twisted cords which fasten an egg yolk to the shell membrane.

2. Botany. the point of an ovule or seed where the integuments are united to the nucellus.

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chalaza British  

/ kəˈleɪzə /

noun

1. one of a pair of spiral threads of albumen holding the yolk of a bird's egg in position

2. the basal part of a plant ovule, where the integuments and nucellus are joined

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chalaza Scientific  

/ kə-lā′zə /

plural

chalazae

1. One of two spiral bands of tissue in an egg that connect the yolk to the lining membrane at either end of the shell.

2. The region of a plant ovule that is opposite the micropyle, where the integuments and nucellus are joined.

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Other Word Forms

• chalazal adjective
• chalazian adjective

Etymology

Origin of chalaza

1695–1705; < New Latin < Greek: hail, lump

Example Sentences

Orthotropous ovule of Buckwheat: c, hilum and chalaza; f, orifice.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa

The hilum or base of the seed, and the chalaza or base of the nucellus are united by means of the raphe r.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

The base of the nucellus is indicated by the chalaza ch, while the apex is at the micropyle m.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

The chalaza is at the insertion or base, the foramen or orifice is at the apex.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa

Seeds usually three or four, large, short, plump, blunt, notched; chalaza oval, depressed, indistinct; raphe a broad groove.

From Manual of American Grape-Growing by Hedrick, U. P.