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caruncle

 
Dictionary: ca·run·cle   (kə-rŭng'kəl, kăr'ŭng'-) pronunciation
n.
  1. Biology. A fleshy naked outgrowth, such as a fowl's wattles.
  2. Botany. An outgrowth or appendage at or near the hilum of certain seeds, as of the castor-oil plant.

[Obsolete French caruncule, from Latin caruncula, diminutive of carō, flesh.]

caruncular ca·run'cu·lar (-kyə-lər) adj.
carunculate ca·run'cu·late (-lĭt, -lāt') or ca·run'cu·lat'ed (-lā'tĭd) adj.

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Wordsmith Words: caruncle
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(KAR-ung-kuhl)

noun
A fleshy growth, such as a rooster's comb.

Etymology
From Latin caruncula (small piece of flesh), diminutive of caro (flesh). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sker- (to cut) that is also the source of skirt, curt, screw, shard, shears, carnage, carnivorous, carnation, sharp, and scrape

Usage
"Some turkeys feint, some scream, some just shake their caruncles." — Barry Janoff; Why Turkeys Use Fowl Language; Brandweek (New York); Apr 4, 2005.


Medical Dictionary: ca·run·cle
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(kə-rŭng'kəl, kăr'ŭng'-)
n.

A fleshy, naked outgrowth.

Veterinary Dictionary: caruncle
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A small fleshy eminence, often abnormal.

  • hymenal c's — small elevations of mucous membrane around the vaginal opening, being relics of the ruptured hymen, especially of women.
  • lacrimal c. — the eminence at the medial angle of the eye.
  • maternal c. — see uterine caruncle (below).
  • sublingual c. — an eminence on either side of the frenulum of the tongue (frenulum linguae), on which the major duct of the sublingual gland and the duct of the submandibular gland open.
  • uterine c. — fleshy masses on the wall of the uterus of pregnant ruminants. The placenta is attached only at these points. There are about 100 of them and they are very much smaller in the nonpregnant female.
WordNet: caruncle
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: an outgrowth on a plant or animal such as a fowl's wattle or a protuberance near the hilum of certain seeds
  Synonym: caruncula


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. 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.  Read more
Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved.  Read more
Medical Dictionary. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more