trichome

American  

[trik-ohm, trahy-kohm] / ˈtrɪk oʊm, ˈtraɪ koʊm /

noun

1. Botany. an outgrowth from the epidermis of plants, as a hair.

2. a microorganism composed of many filamentous cells arranged in strands or chains.

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trichome British  

/ ˈtrɪk-, ˈtraɪkəʊm, trɪˈkɒmɪk /

noun

1. any hairlike outgrowth from the surface of a plant

2. any of the threadlike structures that make up the filaments of blue-green algae

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trichome Scientific  

/ trĭk′ōm′,trī′kōm′ /

1. One of the hairlike or bristlelike outgrowths on the epidermis of a plant. Trichomes serve a variety of functions, depending on their location. As root hairs (and as leaf hairs in epiphytes), trichomes absorb water and minerals. As leaf hairs, they reflect radiation, lower plant temperature, and reduce water loss. They also provide defense against insects.

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Other Word Forms

• trichomic adjective

Etymology

Origin of trichome

First recorded in 1870–75, trichome is from the Greek word tríchōma growth of hair. See trich-, -oma

Example Sentences

Previously, the Last lab identified a BGC containing genes linked to trichome acylsugars in tomato plants.

From Science Daily

Specifically, the researchers drew attention to a moment some 19 million years ago when the enzyme responsible for trichome acylsugars was duplicated.

From Science Daily

When they knocked out the root acylsugar candidate gene, root acylsugar production vanished, leaving trichome acylsugar production untouched.

From Science Daily

"The presence of these acylsugars in roots was fascinating and led to so many questions. How did this happen, how are they being made and are they different from the trichome acylsugars we've been studying?"

From Science Daily

Looking at public genetic sequence data, Kerwin noticed that many of the genes expressed in tomato trichome acylsugar production had close relatives in roots.

From Science Daily