hilum

[ hahy-luh m ]

/ ˈhaɪ ləm /

noun, plural hi·la [hahy-luh] /ˈhaɪ lə/.

Botany.

the mark or scar on a seed produced by separation from its funicle or placenta.
the nucleus of a granule of starch.

Mycology. a mark or scar on a spore at the point of attachment to the spore-bearing structure.

Anatomy. the region at which the vessels, nerves, etc., enter or emerge from a part.

Nearby words

Origin of hilum

1650–60; < New Latin; Latin: little thing, trifle; see nil

Related formshi·lar, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hilum

The part by which the ovule is attached to the placenta or cord is its base or hilum, the opposite extremity being its apex.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5|Various
On the other face of the grain which is towards the palea, the hilum is seen at the base.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses|Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
This bean bears on one of its edges an oval scar, very distinctly marked, called the hilum.
Omphalos|Philip Henry Gosse
Rhaphe, the line or ridge which runs from the hilum to the chalaza in anatropous and amphitropous seeds.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

The hilum or base of the seed, and the chalaza or base of the nucellus are united by means of the raphe r.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hilum

hilum

/ (ˈhaɪləm) /

noun plural -la (-lə)

botany

a scar on the surface of a seed marking its point of attachment to the seed stalk (funicle)
the nucleus of a starch grain

a deep fissure or depression on the surface of a bodily organ around the point of entrance or exit of vessels, nerves, or ducts

Word Origin for hilum

C17: from Latin: trifle; see nihil

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

Word Origin and History for hilum

hilum

Latin, literally "little thing, shred, trifle." Related: Hilar.

Medicine definitions for hilum

hilum

[ hī′ləm ]

n. pl. hi•la (-lə)

A depression or slit-like opening through which nerves, ducts, or blood vessels enter and leave in an organ or a gland.porta

Related formshi′lar (-lər) adj.

Science definitions for hilum

hilum

[ hī′ləm ]

Plural hila

A mark or scar on a seed, such as a bean, showing where it was formerly attached to the plant. The hilum indicates the point of attachment of the funiculus.

A depression or opening through which nerves, ducts, or blood vessels pass in an organ or a gland, as in the medial aspect of the lungs or the kidneys .