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

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 • Apr. 24, 2024

Meanwhile, when the well-studied trichome acylsugar gene was knocked out, root acylsugar production carried on as usual.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

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 • Apr. 24, 2024

To drive home this breakthrough, Jaynee Hart, a postdoctoral researcher and second author on the latest paper, looked closer at the functions of trichome and root enzymes.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

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

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024