follicle
[ fol-i-kuhl ]
/ ˈfɒl ɪ kəl /
Save This Word!
noun
Anatomy.
- a small cavity, sac, or gland.
- one of the small ovarian sacs containing an immature ovum; Graafian follicle.
Botany. a dry seed vessel, or pod, consisting of a single carpel, splitting at maturity only along the front part of the suture.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
Words nearby follicle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for follicle
British Dictionary definitions for follicle
follicle
/ (ˈfɒlɪkəl) /
noun
any small sac or cavity in the body having an excretory, secretory, or protective functiona hair follicle
botany a dry fruit, formed from a single carpel, that splits along one side only to release its seeds: occurs in larkspur and columbine
Derived forms of follicle
follicular (fɒˈlɪkjʊlə), folliculate (fɒˈlɪkjʊˌleɪt) or folliculated, adjectiveWord Origin for follicle
C17: from Latin folliculus small bag, from follis pair of bellows, leather money-bag
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
Medical definitions for follicle
follicle
[ fŏl′ĭ-kəl ]
n.
A small bodily cavity or sac.
A crypt or minute cul-de-sac or lacuna, such as the depression in the skin from which the hair emerges.
An ovarian follicle.
A spherical mass of cells usually containing a cavity.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for follicle
follicle
[ fŏl′ĭ-kəl ]
A small, protective sac, gland, or cluster of cells in the body. In mammals, unfertilized eggs develop in follicles located in the ovaries. Hair grows from follicles in the skin.
A dry, dehiscent fruit that develops from a single carpel, has a single chamber, and splits open along only one seam to release its seeds. The pod of the milkweed and the fruit of the magnolia are follicles.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.