hilum

[hahy-luh m]

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.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for hilum

Historical Examples of hilum

An excrescence or appendage at or about the hilum of a seed.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States
Asa Gray
Orthotropous ovule of Buckwheat: c, hilum and chalaza; f, orifice.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray
Campylotropous ovule of a Chickweed: c, hilum and chalaza; f, orifice.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray
Hilum, the place of junction of the funiculus with the body of the ovule.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray
Seed of a Violet (anatropous): a, hilum; b, rhaphe; c, chalaza.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for hilum

hilum

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

Word Origin and History for hilum

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

hilum in Medicine

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.

hilum in Science

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 .