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funiculus

[ fyoo-nik-yuh-luhs ]
/ fyuˈnɪk yə ləs /
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noun, plural fu·nic·u·li [fyoo-nik-yuh-lahy]. /fyuˈnɪk yəˌlaɪ/.
Anatomy. a conducting cord, as a nerve cord or umbilical cord.
Botany. a funicle.
Entomology. (in certain insects) the portion of the antenna between the basal segments and the club.
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Origin of funiculus

1655–65; <Latin: small rope, cord, equivalent to fūni(s) rope, line + -culus-cule1
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How to use funiculus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for funiculus

funiculus
/ (fjuːˈnɪkjʊləs) /

noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)
anatomy a cordlike part or structure, esp a small bundle of nerve fibres in the spinal cord
a variant of funicle

Word Origin for funiculus

C17: from Latin; see funicle
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 funiculus

funiculus
[ fyu-nĭkyə-ləs ]

Plural funiculi (fyu-nĭkyə-lī)
A stalk connecting an ovule or a seed with the placenta (the ovary wall). In some plants, the funiculus develops into a fleshy seed covering called an aril.
A slender, cordlike strand or band, especially a bundle of nerve fibers in a nerve trunk.
Any of three major divisions of white matter in the spinal cord.
The umbilical cord.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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