fil·a·ment (fĭl'ə-mənt)
n.

1. A fine or thinly spun thread, fiber, or wire.
2. Botany.
   1. The stalk that bears the anther in a stamen.
   2. A chainlike series of cells, as in many algae.
3. 1. A fine wire heated electrically to incandescence in an electric lamp.
   2. Electronics. A high-resistance wire or ribbon forming the cathode in some thermionic tubes.

[New Latin fīlāmentum, from Late Latin fīlāre, to spin, from Latin fīlum, thread.]

filamentous fil'a·men'tous (-mĕn'təs) or fil'a·men'ta·ry (-mĕn'tə-rē, -mĕn'trē) adj.

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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.

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