acicular
/ə'sikjulə/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Narrow, long, and pointed; shaped like a needle: "acicular" describes something that is slender, elongated, and comes to a sharp point, similar to the shape of a needle or a pine leaf.
Usage
- The word "acicular" is a technical or scientific term, most commonly used in fields like botany, mineralogy, and materials science to describe the physical shape of objects.
- It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "is" or "are").
Examples
- Attributive use (before a noun):
- The mineral sample displayed acicular crystals under the microscope.
- Pine trees are known for their acicular leaves.
- Predicative use (after a linking verb):
- The frost formations on the window were delicate and acicular.
- The crystal's structure is distinctly acicular.
Advanced Usage
- "acicular habit": In mineralogy, this phrase describes the tendency of a crystal to grow in a needle-like shape.
- Wollastonite often exhibits an acicular habit.
- "acicular ferrite": In metallurgy, this is a specific microstructure in steel characterized by fine, needle-shaped crystals.
- The toughness of the weld was improved by the presence of acicular ferrite.
Variants and Related Words
- Acicula (noun): A technical term for a small, needle-like spine or bristle, especially in biology.
- The worm's body was covered in fine aciculae.
- Aciculate (adjective): Another adjective meaning marked with or possessing aciculae; finely needle-shaped.
- The leaf had an aciculate surface texture.
Synonyms
- Needle-shaped: Having the long, thin form of a needle.
- Accular: A less common variant with the same meaning.
- Subulate: (Botany) Awl-shaped; tapering to a point.
Antonyms
- Blunt: Having a worn-down or rounded edge, not sharp.
- Ovate: Egg-shaped; broad and rounded.
- Spherical: Shaped like a sphere; round.
Adjective
-
narrow and long and pointed; as pine leaves
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