microfilament

[ mahy-kruh-fil-uh-muhnt ]

/ ˌmaɪ krəˈfɪl ə mənt /

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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.

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Origin of microfilament

First recorded in 1960–65; micro- + filament

OTHER WORDS FROM microfilament

mi·cro·fil·a·men·tous

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

Words nearby microfilament

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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

Medical definitions for microfilament

microfilament

[ mī′krō-fĭl′ə-mənt ]

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.