raphe

[rey-fee]

noun, plural ra·phae

[rey-fee] /ˈreɪ fi/.

Anatomy. a seamlike union between two parts or halves of an organ or the like.
Botany.
1. (in certain ovules) a ridge connecting the hilum with the chalaza.
2. a median line or slot on a cell wall of a diatom.

Origin of raphe

1745–55; < New Latin < Greek rhaphḗ seam, suture, akin to rháptein to sew, stitch together

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for raphe

Historical Examples of raphe

The raphe runs through the parenchyma found in the cleft of the berry.
All About Coffee
William H. Ukers
Dr. Whitaker reads Raphe, which is undoubtedly the ancient form.
The Ballads and Songs of Yorkshire
C. J. Davison Ingledew
Raphe, you are my mate, and your eyes are my stars, in which I read my destiny.
Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume I (of 2)
Anonymous
And Raphe as your king interrupted Zulmiera, in hurried accents.
Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume I (of 2)
Anonymous
Ward obtained the unexpected result that it was confined to the raphe of the seed.
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists
Various

British Dictionary definitions for raphe

raphe

noun plural -phae (-fiː)

an elongated ridge of conducting tissue along the side of certain seeds
a longitudinal groove on the valve of a diatom
anatomy a connecting ridge, such as that between the two halves of the medulla oblongata

Word Origin for raphe

C18: via New Latin from Greek rhaphē a seam, from rhaptein to sew together

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

Word Origin and History for raphe

"seam, suture" (medical), 1753, medical Latin, from Greek rhaphe "seam, suture (of a skull)," from rhaptein "to sew together, stitch" (see wrap).

raphe in Medicine

raphe

n. pl. ra•phae (-fē′)

A seamlike line or ridge between two similar parts of a body organ, as in the scrotum.

raphe in Science

raphe

[rā′fē′]

Plural raphae (rā′fē′)

A seamlike line or ridge between two similar parts of a body organ, as in the scrotum.
The portion of the funiculus that is united to the ovule wall, commonly visible as a line or ridge on the seed coat.
A groove in the frustule of some diatoms.