follicle

(fŏl'ĭ-kəl)
n.

1. Anatomy.
   1. A small bodily cavity or sac.
   2. A crypt or minute cul-de-sac or lacuna, such as the depression in the skin from which the hair emerges.
   3. An ovarian follicle.
   4. A spherical mass of cells usually containing a cavity.
2. Botany. A dry, single-chambered fruit that splits along only one seam to release its seeds, as in larkspur and milkweed.

[Latin folliculus, little bag, diminutive of follis, bellows.]

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A dry, single-chambered fruit that splits along only one seam to release its seeds, as in larkspur and milkweed.

IN BRIEF: A small cavity or gland for excretion or secretion.

The concern was that the hair follicle was infected at the time.

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1. any small cavity or recess.
2. a cavity that has a secretory or excretory function, e.g. the Graafian follicle.

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A sac or pouchlike depression or cavity.

• atretic f. — an involuted ovarian follicle.
• conjunctival f. — focal accumulations of hypertrophied lymphoid tissue in conjunctiva, indicative of an inflammatory reaction.
• cystic f. — ovarian follicle that has not ruptured, is grossly enlarged, may be multiple and on both ovaries. Caused by insufficient luteinizing hormone. Affected cows may be nymphomaniac in behavior, but most are anestrous and anovulatory. See also cystic ovarian degeneration.
• dental f. — the structure within the substance of the jaws enclosing a tooth before its eruption; the dental sac and its contents.
• dominant f. — in the ovary, hormones secreted by the largest follicle will cause others to regress.
• gastric f. — lymphoid masses in the gastric mucosa.
• graafian f. — a maturing ovarian follicle among whose cells fluid has begun to accumulate, leading to the formation of a single cavity and leaving the ovum located in the cumulus oophorus; called also vesicular ovarian follicle.
• hair f. — see hair follicle.
• hemorrhagic f. — see corpus hemorrhagicum.
• lymph f., lymphatic f — 1. a small collection of actively proliferating lymphocytes in the cortex of a lymph node.
— 2. a small collection of lymphoid tissue in the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract; such collections may occur singly (solitary lymphatic follicle) or closely packed together (aggregated lymphatic follicles).
• ovarian f. — the ovum and its encasing cells, at any stage of its development.
• primary ovarian f. — an immature ovarian follicle consisting of an immature ovum and the few specialized epithelial cells surrounding it.
• primordial f. — an ovarian follicle consisting of an ovum enclosed by a single layer of cells.
• sebaceous f. — a hair follicle with a relatively large sebaceous gland, producing a relatively insignificant hair.
• solitary f. — 1. areas of concentrated lymphatic tissue in the mucosa of the colon.
— 2. small lymph follicles scattered throughout the mucosa and submucosa of the small intestine. Called also solitary glands.
• thyroid f. — discrete cystlike units filled with a colloid substance, constituting the lobules of the thyroid gland.
• vesicular ovarian f. — graafian follicle.
• wool f. — site of origin of wool fiber.

For a list of words related to follicle, see:

• Endocrine System and Glands - follicle: small cavity or gland

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See words rhyming with "follicle."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Follicle.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - follikel, bælgkapsel, kokon

Nederlands (Dutch)
follikkel, kokervrucht, cocon

Français (French)
n. - follicule

Deutsch (German)
n. - (Biol.) Follikel

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - βόμβυξ (κν. κουκούλι)

Italiano (Italian)
follicolo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - folículo (m) (Bot.)

Русский (Russian)
стручок, фолликул, мешочек, кокон

Español (Spanish)
n. - folículo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - follikel (anat.), baljkapsel (bot.), kokong

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
小囊, 骨突, 滤泡

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 小囊, 骨突, 濾泡

한국어 (Korean)
n. - (식물) 골돌과, 누에고치

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 小胞, 濾胞, 卵胞, 袋果

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الجريب ( نبات)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חריר-שערה, זקיק, שקיק של פרי יבש‬

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