raphide

raphis (ˈreɪfɪs)

/ (ˈreɪfaɪd) /


nounplural raphides (ˈræfɪˌdiːz)
  1. any of numerous needle-shaped crystals, usually of calcium oxalate, that occur in many plant cells as a metabolic product

Origin of raphide

1
C18: from French, from Greek rhaphis needle

Words Nearby raphide

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 raphide

raphide

[ fīd ]


Plural raphides (răfĭ-dēz′)
  1. One of a bundle of needlelike crystals of calcium oxalate occurring in many plant cells. The crystals discourage animals from eating the plant by irritating their tissues.

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