Meaning & use
funicle
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Meanings
nouncountablebiologytechnical
The thin stalk that joins an ovule or seed to the part of the plant it grows from.
Grammar: Botanical count noun: the funicle of the seed.
Patterns
- the funicle of something
The seed stays attached to the pod by a slender funicle.
Botany students cut the ovary open to see the funicle.
As the seed matures, the funicle dries and breaks.
nouncountablemedicalrare
A small cord or band of fibers in an animal body, such as a bundle in the nervous system.
Grammar: Rare anatomical use; mostly found in older texts.
The anatomist described the funicle running along the spinal cord.
Each funicle carries bundles of fibers.
Word forms
| plural | funicles |
|---|
Common combinations
- seed funicle
- The seed funicle is visible under a lens.
- funicle of the ovule
- The funicle of the ovule is short.
- detach from the funicle
- The seed detaches from the funicle when ripe.
- slender funicle
- A slender funicle held the seed.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- funiculus noun
- the Latin-based term for the same structure
- funicular adjective
- relating to a cable or cord
- funiculate adjective
- having a funicle
Commonly confused: funicle or funicular?
funicle vs funicular
A funicular is a cable railway up a steep slope, though both words share the Latin root for rope.
Practice
In a flowering plant, the funicle connects the ____ to the ovary wall.
Choose one answer.
The funicle is the stalk attaching the ovule or seed. Petals, roots, and leaves attach elsewhere.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “funicle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.