aciniform

[ uh-sin-uh-fawrm ]

adjective

1. clustered like grapes.
2. acinous.

aciniform

/ əˈsɪnɪˌfɔːm /

adjective

1. shaped like a bunch of grapes

Word History and Origins

Origin of aciniform¹

First recorded in 1840–50; acin(us) + -i- + -form

Word History and Origins

Origin of aciniform¹

C19: from New Latin aciniformis; see acinus

Example Sentences

Male crab spiders make aciniform silk to tie up their lady friends before mating; female spiders weave silken tubuliform egg sacs; and trapdoor spiders produce special sticky silk globules with which to construct their heavy swing doors of layered earth and silk.

From The New Yorker

Aciniform, a-sin′i-form, adj. in clusters like grapes, or having the form of grapes.

From Project Gutenberg

The glands in western black widows each produce different kinds of silk: The major and minor ampullate glands manufacture dragline and scaffolding silk; the tubuliform gland synthesizes egg case silk; the aggregate gland makes glue silk; the aciniform gland synthesizes prey wrapping and egg-case threads; the pyriform glands produce silk that sticks onto surfaces; and the flageliform has an unclear function in this species.

From Scientific American