tapetum

[ tuh-pee-tuhm ]

/ təˈpi təm /

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noun, plural ta·pe·ta

[tuh-pee-tuh]. /təˈpi tə/.

Botany. a layer of cells often investing the archespore in a developing sporangium and absorbed as the spores mature.

Anatomy, Zoology. any of certain membranous layers or layered coverings, as in the choroid of the eyes of certain animals.

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Origin of tapetum

1705–15; <New Latin, special use of Medieval Latin tapētum coverlet (Latin, only plural) <Greek tapēt- (stem of tápēs) carpet, rug

OTHER WORDS FROM tapetum

ta·pe·tal, adjective

Words nearby tapetum

tape streamer, tapestried, tapestry, tapestry moth, tape transport, tapetum, tapeworm, taphephobia, Taphiae, taphole, taphonomy

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

How to use tapetum in a sentence

The subject, however, of the various colours of the tapetum in different animals is not yet understood.
The Book of Cats|Charles H. Ross
Iris tapetum: the pigment layer of the compound eye just below the crystalline cone.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology|John. B. Smith
The tapetum lucidum is found in Ungulata, Cetacea and Carnivora.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tapetum

tapetum

/ (təˈpiːtəm) /

noun plural -ta (-tə)

a layer of nutritive cells in the sporangia of ferns and anthers of flowering plants that surrounds developing spore cells

a membranous reflecting layer of cells in the choroid of the eye of nocturnal vertebrates
a similar structure in the eyes of certain nocturnal insects

anatomy a covering layer of cells behind the retina of the eye

Derived forms of tapetum

tapetal, adjective

Word Origin for tapetum

C18: from New Latin, from Medieval Latin: covering, from Latin tapēte carpet, from Greek tapēs carpet

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