filiform
/'failifɔ:m/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Thin in diameter; resembling a thread: Having a long, slender, thread-like shape or structure.
Usage
- The word filiform is a technical adjective primarily used in scientific contexts, such as biology, medicine, and botany, to describe physical form.
- It is used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "is" or "are").
Examples
- Attributive use:
- The insect has long, filiform antennae.
- Under the microscope, we observed filiform papillae on the tongue.
- Predicative use:
- The plant's appendages are filiform.
- The bacterial colony appeared filiform in its growth pattern.
Advanced Usage
- "Filiform" can be used metaphorically in literary or descriptive writing to evoke an image of extreme thinness and length.
- The morning fog dissipated into filiform tendrils.
Variants and Related Words
- Filament (n): A very fine, thread-like object or fiber.
- A tungsten filament glows inside the light bulb.
- Filamentous (adj): Consisting of or resembling filaments; thread-like.
- The algae had a filamentous structure.
Synonyms
- Threadlike
- Filamentous
- Capillary (when referring to very fine tubes)
- Attenuated (in some technical contexts)
Antonyms
- Tubular (hollow and cylindrical, not solid and thread-like)
- Broad
- Stout
- Bulbous
Related Phrases / Compound Terms
- Filiform papilla: A type of small, thread-like projection on the tongue.
- Filiform corrosion: A type of corrosion that propagates in a thread-like manner under coatings.
- Filiform leaf: A leaf that is long, slender, and thread-like.
Adjective
-
thin in diameter; resembling a thread
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