reticular
Americanadjective
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having the form of a net; netlike.
-
intricate or entangled.
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Anatomy. of or relating to a reticulum.
Other Word Forms
- interreticular adjective
- reticularly adverb
Etymology
Origin of reticular
1590–1600; < New Latin rēticulāris, equivalent to Latin rēticul ( um ) reticle + -āris -ar 1
Explanation
Anything reticular is like a net. A spider web is reticular. Nets are interwoven with holes: they're used to catch fish and other things. Anything that resembles a net — or a network — can be called reticular. Many hammocks are reticular, and so is the knitting of many quilts and blankets. This word is often used in biology for parts of organisms that are net-like. Parts of our nervous system are often described as reticular, because the nerves resemble a net and also form a network.
Vocabulary lists containing reticular
List 8
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List 10
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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.
“It performs beautifully,” said Omar Yaghi, a reticular chemist at UC Berkeley and the study’s senior author.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2024
Activity of the cannabinoid receptor 1, which is involved in controlling pain perception, also decreased in the thalamic reticular nucleus after CSD.
From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2023
As adenosine accumulates throughout the day, it slows down excitatory networks such as the arousal-causing reticular activating system.
From Scientific American • Oct. 25, 2023
The reticular layer is composed of irregularly arranged fibers and resists stretching.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
It was a special sensory input to the reticular formation of the brain.
From Tokyo to Tijuana: Gabriele Departing America by Sills, Steven (Steven David Justin)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
