CARUNCLE

caruncle, caruncula

(noun) an outgrowth on a plant or animal such as a fowl’s wattle or a protuberance near the hilum of certain seeds

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

caruncle (plural caruncles)

A small, fleshy excrescence that is a normal part of an animal's anatomy.

Coordinate terms: comb, cockscomb, crest, snood, wattle

A similar excrescence near the hilum of some seeds.

Synonym: elaiosome

Source: Wiktionary


Car"un*cle, Ca*run"cu*la, n. Etym: [L. caruncula a little piece of flesh, dim. of caro flesh.]

1. (Anat.)

Definition: A small fleshy prominence or excrescence; especially the small, reddish body, the caruncula lacrymalis, in the inner angle of the eye.

2. (Bot.)

Definition: An excrescence or appendage surrounding or near the hilum of a seed.

3. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A naked, flesh appendage, on the head of a bird, as the wattles of a turkey, etc.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

30 November 2024

HYPOTHETICAL

(noun) a hypothetical possibility, circumstance, statement, proposal, situation, etc.; “consider the following, just as a hypothetical”


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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