spinneret

[ spin-uh-ret, spin-uh-ret ]

noun
  1. an organ or part by means of which a spider, insect larva, or the like spins a silky thread for its web or cocoon.

  2. a metal plate or cup with tiny holes through which a chemical solution is extruded to form continuous filaments, as of rayon, nylon, or polyester.

Origin of spinneret

1
First recorded in 1820–30; spinner + -et

Words Nearby spinneret

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

How to use spinneret in a sentence

  • The thread, as a matter of fact, does not flow from the spinneret; it is drawn thence with a certain effort.

    The Life of the Spider | J. Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for spinneret

spinneret

/ (ˈspɪnəˌrɛt) /


noun
  1. any of several organs in spiders and certain insects through which silk threads are exuded

  2. a finely perforated dispenser through which a viscous liquid is extruded in the production of synthetic fibres

Origin of spinneret

1
C18: from spinner + -et

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 spinneret

spinneret

[ spĭn′ə-rĕt ]


  1. One of the small openings in the back part of a spider or silk-producing insect larva, through which the sticky fluid that dries into silk is released.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.