follicle
Americannoun
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Anatomy.
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a small cavity, sac, or gland.
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one of the small ovarian sacs containing an immature ovum; Graafian follicle.
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Botany. a dry seed vessel, or pod, consisting of a single carpel, splitting at maturity only along the front part of the suture.
noun
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any small sac or cavity in the body having an excretory, secretory, or protective function
a hair follicle
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botany a dry fruit, formed from a single carpel, that splits along one side only to release its seeds: occurs in larkspur and columbine
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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.
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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.
Other Word Forms
- follicular adjective
Etymology
Origin of follicle
First recorded in 1640–50, follicle is from the Latin word folliculus small bag, shell, pod. See follis, -cle 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pelage is planning to start Phase 3 studies this year for PP405, a topical “regenerative medicine approach” to hair loss that targets hair follicles stuck in the resting phase.
From MarketWatch
“The poor dear. The damage that those weeds must be doing to her follicles, I shudder to think.”
From Literature
It helps reduce the effects of dihydrotestosterone, a hormone linked to follicle shrinkage, while also protecting hair follicle cells from premature cell death.
From Science Daily
Just as Sagimet’s denifanstat blocks fat accumulation in the liver, it blocks the fatty acids that cause hair follicles to become pimples.
From Barron's
That pressure prevents cancer medications from flowing through capillaries to hair follicles and nerves in the hands and feet, Hannon said.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
