FOLLICLE

follicle

(noun) any small spherical group of cells containing a cavity

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

follicle (plural follicles)

(anatomy) A small cavity or sac, such as a hair follicle.

(botany) A type of primitive dry fruit produced by certain flowering plants.

Source: Wiktionary

Fol"li*cle, n. Etym: [L. folliculus a small bag, husk, pod, dim of follis bellows, an inflated ball, a leathern money bag, perh. akin to E. bellows: cf. F. follicule. Cf. 2d Fool.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: A simple podlike pericarp which contains several seeds and opens along the inner or ventral suture, as in the peony, larkspur and milkweed.

2. (Anat.) (a) A small cavity, tubular depression, or sac; as, a hair follicle. (b) A simple gland or glandular cavity; a crypt. (c) A small mass of adenoid tissue; as, a lymphatic follicle.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition