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  • pili
    pili
    noun
    a Philippine tree, Canarium ovatum, the edible seeds of which taste like a sweet almond.
  • pili-
    pili-
    a combining form meaning “hair,” used in the formation of compound words.

pili

1 American  
[pee-lee] / piˈli /

noun

pilies plural
  1. a Philippine tree, Canarium ovatum, the edible seeds of which taste like a sweet almond.

  2. Also called pili nut.  the seed of this tree.


pili 2 American  
[pahy-lahy] / ˈpaɪ laɪ /

noun

  1. Biology. plural of pilus.


pili- 3 American  
  1. a combining form meaning “hair,” used in the formation of compound words.

    piliform.


pili 1 British  
/ pɪˈliː /

noun

  1. a burseraceous Philippine tree, Canarium ovatum, with edible seeds resembling almonds

  2. Also called: pili nut.  the seed of this tree

"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

pili 2 British  
/ ˈpaɪlɪ /

plural noun

  1. bacteriol short curled hairlike processes on the surface of certain bacteria that are involved in conjugation and the attachment of the bacteria to 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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of pili1

From Tagalog

Origin of pili-3

Combining form representing Latin pilus; see -i-

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Some phages make use of bacterial pili by attaching to them and allowing bacteria to reel the phage to the surface, where the phage can start infecting the bacteria.

From Science Daily Apr. 15, 2024

E. coli has many short arms, known as pili, which the bacterium uses to recognize its host's glycocalyx and cling onto it.

From Science Daily Mar. 25, 2024

Prof Helen Wallace is one of the world's leading authorities on the kenari, and its sister trees and nuts, the pili and galip.

From BBC Nov. 23, 2022

Turns out, these phages attach themselves to the pili and flagella of bacteria in order to infect them.

From Salon Sep. 21, 2022

Even the erector pili muscle and the sudoriparous gland are often found.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)

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