lanugo

American  

[luh-noo-goh, -nyoo-] / ləˈnu goʊ, -ˈnju- /

noun

Biology.

• lanugos
  plural

1. a coat of delicate, downy hairs, especially that with which the human fetus or a newborn infant is covered.

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lanugo British  

/ ləˈnjuːɡəʊ /

noun

1. a layer of fine hairs, esp the covering of the human fetus before birth

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lanugo Scientific  

/ lə-no̅o̅′gō /

1. A covering of fine, soft hair or hairlike structures, as on a leaf, insect, or human fetus.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lanuginousness
  noun
• lanuginous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lanugos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of lanugo

1670–80; < Latin lānūgō wooliness, down, derivative of lāna wool

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lanugo

The fuzz with which some babies are born is called lanugo.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 23, 2022

In the beginning of life, there was you and your lanugo.

From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2014

Like ringed seals, newborn ribbon seals have a coat of lanugo and cannot survive submersion in icy water until after they’ve formed the blubber layer.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 11, 2014

A silky hair called lanugo also covers the skin during weeks 17–20, but it is shed as the fetus continues to grow.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The fine wool-like hair, or so-called lanugo, with which the human fœtus during the sixth month is thickly covered, offers a more curious case.

From The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. I by Charles Darwin

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