radicle

[ rad-i-kuhl ]

See synonyms for radicle on Thesaurus.com

noun

Botany.
- the lower part of the axis of an embryo; the primary root.
- a rudimentary root; radicel or rootlet.
Chemistry. (formerly) radical (def. 15).

Anatomy. a small rootlike part or structure, as the beginning of a nerve or vein.

Origin of radicle

1665–75; <Latin rādīcula small root, equivalent to rādīc- (stem of rādīx) root¹ + -ula-ule

Words Nearby radicle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use radicle in a sentence

Two days later, plasma-treated seeds showed larger radicles, or starter roots.
Cold plasma could transform the sustainable farms of the future | Stephen Ornes | September 8, 2021 | Science News
And, lastly, that at the apex of the nucleus the radicle of the future Embryo would constantly be found.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2] | Phillip Parker King
An uncharged SO4 radicle would react with the water present, and sulphuric acid would be formed and oxygen liberated.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia | Various
Also imagine one atom of oxygen with its two hooks outstretched like two arms, and just link one radicle on to each.
The Romance of War Inventions | Thomas W. Corbin
If we use the methyl radicle we get methyl alcohol: if we use the ethyl radicle we get ethyl alcohol.
The Romance of War Inventions | Thomas W. Corbin

The form and relative position of the radicle and cotyledons serve to distinguish certain groups of plants.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope | John William Griffith

British Dictionary definitions for radicle

radicle

/ (ˈrædɪkəl) /

noun

botany
- part of the embryo of seed-bearing plants that develops into the main root
- a very small root or rootlike part
anatomy any bodily structure resembling a rootlet, esp one of the smallest branches of a vein or nerve

chem a variant spelling of radical (def. 11)

Origin of radicle

C18: from Latin rādīcula a little root, from rādīx root

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

Scientific definitions for radicle

radicle

[ răd′ĭ-kəl ]

The part of a plant embryo that develops into a root. In most seeds, the radicle is the first structure to emerge on germination.
A small anatomical structure, such as a fibril of a nerve, that resembles a root.

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