follicle

[ fol-i-kuhl ]

See synonyms for follicle on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of follicle

First recorded in 1640–50, follicle is from the Latin word folliculus small bag, shell, pod. See follis, -cle¹

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

How to use follicle in a sentence

Well, he came across like Screech from Saved By the Bell, only without the necessary follicles to sustain a Jewfro.
Iowa GOP Senate Debate Shows Divides | Ben Jacobs | April 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The very white blood cells tasked with protecting me had turned on my hair follicles.
An Epidemic of Absence: Destroying the Bugs in Our Bodies Can Be Dangerous to Our Health | Moises Velasquez-Manoff | September 9, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The skin is also provided with small follicles, or bags, which are filled with an oily substance.
A Treatise on Domestic Economy | Catherine Esther Beecher
Alexander Schultz states that in Torpedo, the eggs are at first enclosed in a simple epithelium, but that in follicles of .008 mm.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour
They were only separated from the egg columns of the cortical layer by a row of large follicles.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour

In this difference between the early and late formed follicles Mammals agree with Elasmobranchii.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour
In the later formed follicles the cells are always flat and spindle-shaped in section.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for follicle

follicle

/ (ˈfɒlɪkəl) /

noun

any small sac or cavity in the body having an excretory, secretory, or protective function: a 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

Origin of follicle

C17: from Latin folliculus small bag, from follis pair of bellows, leather money-bag

Derived forms of follicle

follicular (fɒˈlɪkjʊlə), folliculate (fɒˈlɪkjʊˌleɪt) or folliculated, 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 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.

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