fol·li·cle (f l  -k l)n. 1. Anatomy a. A small bodily cavity or sac. b. A crypt or minute cul-de-sac or lacuna, such as the depression in the skin from which the hair emerges. c. An ovarian follicle. d. A spherical mass of cells usually containing a cavity. 2. Botany A dry, single-chambered fruit that splits along only one seam to release its seeds, as in larkspur and milkweed. [Latin folliculus, little bag, diminutive of follis, bellows; see bhel-2 in Indo-European roots.] |
| follicle (fl-kl) 1. A small, protective sac, gland, or cluster of cells in the body. In mammals, unfertilized eggs develop in follicles located in the ovaries. Hair grows from follicles in the skin. 2. A dry, dehiscent fruit that develops from a single carpel, has a single chamber, and splits open along only one seam to release its seeds. The pod of the milkweed and the fruit of the magnolia are follicles. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  follicle - any small spherical group of cells containing a cavityvesicle, cyst - a small anatomically normal sac or bladderlike structure (especially one containing fluid) hair follicle - a small tubular cavity containing the root of a hair; small muscles and sebaceous glands are associated with them Graafian follicle - a vascular body in a mammalian ovary enclosing a developing egg |
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