microfilament

[ mahy-kruh-fil-uh-muh nt ]

/ ˌmaɪ krəˈfɪl ə mənt /

noun Cell Biology.

a minute, narrow tubelike cell structure composed of a protein similar to actin, occurring singly and in bundles, involved in cytoplasmic movement and changes in cell shape.

Nearby words

microfauna, microfiber, microfibre, microfibril, microfiche, microfilament, microfilaremia, microfilaria, microfilm, microfilm plotter, microfilter

Origin of microfilament

First recorded in 1960–65; micro- + filament

Related formsmi·cro·fil·a·men·tous

[mahy-kroh-fil-uh-men-tuh s] /ˌmaɪ kroʊˌfɪl əˈmɛn təs/, adjective

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

British Dictionary definitions for microfilament

microfilament

/ (ˌmaɪkrəʊˈfɪləmənt) /

noun

thin filament, composed of the protein actin and associated proteins, that occurs abundantly in muscle and in the cytoplasm of other cells

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

Medicine definitions for microfilament

microfilament

[ mī′krō-fĭl′ə-mənt ]

n.

Any of the minute fibers located throughout the cytoplasm of cells, composed of actin and functioning primarily in maintaining the structural integrity of a cell.