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filament

Syllabification: (fil·a·ment)
Pronunciation: /ˈfiləmənt/

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Definition of filament

noun

  • a slender threadlike object or fiber, especially one found in animal or plant structures:a filament of cellulose
  • a conducting wire or thread with a high melting point, forming part of an electric bulb or vacuum tube and heated or made incandescent by an electric current.
  • Botany the slender part of a stamen that supports the anther.
  • Astronomy a narrow streamer from the sun’s chromosphere or in its corona.
  • Astronomy a narrow streamer of gas in an interstellar cloud or nebula.

Derivatives

filamentary

Pronunciation: /ˌfiləˈmentərē/

adjective

filamented

adjective

filamentous

Pronunciation: /-ˌmentəs/

adjective

Origin:

late 16th century: from French, or from modern Latin filamentum, from late Latin filare 'to spin', from Latin filum 'thread'

filament in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of filament in the British & World English dictionary

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