n., pl., -lus·es, or -li (-lī').
- A ringlike figure, part, structure, or marking, such as a growth ring on the scale of a fish.
- A ring or group of thick-walled cells around the sporangia of many ferns that functions in spore release.
- The ringlike remains of a broken partial veil, found around the stipes of certain mushrooms.
- Mathematics. The figure bounded by and containing the area between two concentric circles.
[Latin ānulus, ring, diminutive of ānus.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
