Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Resembling a hair in form or texture: Describes something that is long, thin, and slender, similar to a single strand of hair.
   • Having a very small internal diameter: Often used in scientific contexts to describe something with a minute, tube-like structure.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The scientist observed hairlike structures under the microscope.
  • A hairlike crack appeared in the ancient porcelain vase.
  • Certain plants have hairlike roots that absorb moisture from the air.

Advanced Usage

• "hairlike projections": Refers to very thin, hair-like extensions on a surface, often in biology.
  • The insect's legs were covered in tiny, hairlike projections for sensing its environment.
• "hairlike filament": A technical term for an extremely thin, thread-like strand.
  • The lightbulb's filament was so fine it was almost hairlike.

Variants and Related Words

• Capillary (adj/n): Often used as a near-synonym in scientific contexts, specifically referring to a tube with a hair-like diameter.
  • Capillary action draws water up the thin tube.
• Filiform (adj): Threadlike; having the form of a thread or filament.
  • The filiform leaves of the plant waved in the breeze.

Synonyms

• Threadlike: Having the form of a thread; long and thin.
• Filamentous: Consisting of or resembling filaments; threadlike.
• Fibrillar: Relating to or resembling small fibers.

Related Phrases

• Hair-thin: An informal phrase emphasizing extreme thinness.
  • The wire was hair-thin and difficult to see.
• Fine as a hair: An idiomatic comparison for something very slender.
  • The artist's brushstrokes were as fine as a hair.

Adjective

1. long and slender with a very small internal diameter
   • a capillary tube