fibril

[fahy-bruh l, fib-ruh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fibril ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small or fine fiber or filament.

Botany. any of the delicate hairs on the young roots of some plants.

Cell Biology. any threadlike structure or filament.

Origin of fibril

1655–65; < New Latin fibrilla, equivalent to Latin fibr(a) fiber + -illa diminutive suffix

Related formsfi·bril·lar, adjectivefi·bril·lose, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for fibril

cord, wire, string, yarn, hair, fiber, strand, filament, wool, ribbon, cotton, grain, thread, tissue, braid, gossamer, lisle, fibril, floss, web

Examples from the Web for fibril

Historical Examples of fibril

Fī′bril, a small fibre; one of the extremely minute threads composing an animal fibre; Fibril′la, a fibril, filament.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)
Various

British Dictionary definitions for fibril

fibril

fibrilla (faɪˈbrɪlə, fɪ-)

noun plural -brils or -brillae (-ˈbrɪliː)

a small fibre or part of a fibre

biology a threadlike structure, such as a root hair or a thread of muscle tissue

Derived Formsfibrilar, fibrillar or fibrillose, adjectivefibrilliform, adjective

Word Origin for fibril

C17: from New Latin fibrilla a little fibre

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

Word Origin and History for fibril

1680s, back-formation from Modern Latin fibrilla, diminutive of Latin fibra (see fiber).

fibril in Medicine

fibril

[fī′brəl, fĭb′rəl]

n.

A minute fiber.

fibril in Science

fibril

[fī′brəl, fĭb′rəl]

Any of various threadlike fibers or filaments that are constituent parts of a cell or larger structure. Cellulose fibrils are the main component of cell walls in plants. Fibrils make up the contractile part of striated muscle fiber in the body.