fibril

[ fahy-bruhl, fib-ruhl ]

See 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

Other words from fibril

fi·bril·lar, adjective
fi·bril·lose, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fibril in a sentence

In a word, it was shown that each central nerve cell, with its fibrillar offshoots, is an isolated entity.
A History of Science, Volume 4(of 5) | Henry Smith Williams
The tongue still vibrates vigorously with fibrillar contractions when it is at rest, the mouth being open.
The Mind of the Child, Part II | W. Preyer
(·4 grain), in about two hours; there are fibrillar twitchings of single groups of muscles and narcosis.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection | Alexander Wynter Blyth
The nuclear membrane then disappears and fibrillar cell-plasma or cytoplasm invades the nuclear area.
Darwin and Modern Science | A.C. Seward and Others
Fibrillar muscular twitching of all the muscles of the body are observed.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection | Alexander Wynter Blyth

British Dictionary definitions for fibril

fibril

fibrilla (faɪˈbrɪlə, fɪ-)

/ (ˈfaɪbrɪl) /

nounplural -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

Origin of fibril

C17: from New Latin fibrilla a little fibre

Derived forms of fibril

fibrilar, fibrillar or fibrillose, adjective
fibrilliform, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for fibril

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.

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