tomentum
Americannoun
plural
tomentanoun
-
a feltlike covering of downy hairs on leaves and other plant parts
-
a network of minute blood vessels occurring in the human brain between the pia mater and cerebral cortex
Other Word Forms
- tomentose adjective
Etymology
Origin of tomentum
1690–1700; < New Latin tōmentum, Latin: stuffing (of wool, hair, etc.) for cushions
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 bears short-stalked ovate or oblong leaves, with strongly marked veins, and covered with a soft tomentum or down.
From Project Gutenberg
The leaf has a yellow tomentum below; and the fruit forms a favourite food of monkeys and of various birds, but is not touched by man.
From Project Gutenberg
P. thin campan. then exp. tomentose, squamulose; g. free, grey then blackish; s. narrowed upwards, glabrous above, downy below, base with white tomentum.
From Project Gutenberg
It is a small flat-topped tree of medium height, the leaves somewhat like those of the Hawthorn in shape, and covered with a thick grey tomentum; the fruits are small, black, and shining.
From Project Gutenberg
Leaf medium to large, slightly oblong, with large, deeply-cut compound teeth; basal sinus widely opened, primary sinuses narrow and shallow; smooth on both sides with scattered tomentum below, bright green above, lighter below.
From Project Gutenberg
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.
