filament

American  

[fil-uh-muhnt] / ˈfɪl ə mənt /

noun

1. a very fine thread or threadlike structure; a fiber or fibril.

   filaments of gold.

2. a single fibril of natural or synthetic textile fiber, of indefinite length, sometimes several miles long.

3. a long slender cell or series of attached cells, as in some algae and fungi.

4. Botany. the stalklike portion of a stamen, supporting the anther.

5. Ornithology. the barb of a down feather.

6. (in a light bulb or other incandescent lamp) the threadlike conductor, often of tungsten, in the bulb that is heated to incandescence by the passage of current.

7. Electronics. the heating element (sometimes also acting as a cathode) of a vacuum tube, resembling the filament in an incandescent bulb.

8. Astronomy. a solar prominence, as viewed within the sun's limb.

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filament British  

/ -trɪ, ˌfɪləˈmɛntərɪ, ˈfɪləmənt /

noun

1. the thin wire, usually tungsten, inside a light bulb that emits light when heated to incandescence by an electric current

2. electronics a high-resistance wire or ribbon, forming the cathode in some valves

3. a single strand of a natural or synthetic fibre; fibril

4. botany

   1. the stalk of a stamen

   2. any of the long slender chains of cells into which some algae and fungi are divided

5. ornithol the barb of a down feather

6. anatomy any slender structure or part, such as the tail of a spermatozoon; filum

7. astronomy

   1. a long structure of relatively cool material in the solar corona

   2. a long large-scale cluster of galaxies

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filament Scientific  

/ fĭl′ə-mənt /

1. A fine or slender thread, wire, or fiber.

2. The part of a stamen that supports the anther of a flower; the stalk of a stamen.

3. See more at flower

4. 1. A fine wire that gives off radiation when an electric current is passed through it, usually to provide light, as in an incandescent bulb, or to provide heat, as in a vacuum tube.

   2. A wire that acts as the cathode in some electron tubes when it is heated with an electric current.

5. Any of the dark, sinuous lines visible through certain filters on the disk of the Sun. Filaments are solar prominences that are viewed against the solar surface rather than being silhouetted along the outer edges of the disk.

6. See more at prominence

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Other Word Forms

• filamentary adjective
• filamented adjective

Etymology

Origin of filament

1585–95; < New Latin fīlāmentum, equivalent to Late Latin fīlā ( re ) to wind thread, spin ( file ¹ ) + Latin -mentum -ment

Example Sentences

The object is a razor thin chain of galaxies embedded within a vast cosmic filament located about 140 million light years from Earth.

From Science Daily

If we love fiercely, our ancestors live among and speak to us through these incandescent filaments glowing from the warmth of memories.”

From Los Angeles Times

DIAPH1 helps form actin filaments, which are part of the cell's internal structure.

From Science Daily

Using samples from Roscoff and a second collection in Bilbao, Spain, the team conducted one of the most comprehensive studies ever of the cytoskeleton -- the filament network that supports and organizes eukaryotic cells.

From Science Daily

"We also found that tiny thread-like structures called mesenterial filaments play a bigger role and are more diverse than we previously thought," Dr. Lewis said.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• fiber
• thread