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hilum

[ hahy-luhm ]
/ ˈhaɪ ləm /

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

Botany.
  1. the mark or scar on a seed produced by separation from its funicle or placenta.
  2. 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.

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Origin of hilum

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hilum

hilar, adjective

Words nearby hilum

Hilo, hilt, Hilton, Hilton's law, Hilton's white line, hilum, hilus, hilus cell, Hilversum, him, Himachal Pradesh
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for hilum

British Dictionary definitions for hilum

hilum
/ (ˈhaɪləm) /

noun plural -la (-lə)

botany
  1. a scar on the surface of a seed marking its point of attachment to the seed stalk (funicle)
  2. 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

Medical 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

Other words from hilum

hi′lar (-lər) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific 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 .
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.