tracheid

[ trey-kee-id ]

noun

, Botany.

1. an elongated, tapering xylem cell having lignified, pitted, intact walls, adapted for conduction and support. Compare vessel ( def 5 ).

tracheid

/ trəˈkiːɪdəl; ˈtreɪkɪɪd; ˌtreɪkɪˈaɪdəl /

noun

1. botany an element of xylem tissue consisting of an elongated lignified cell with tapering ends and large pits

tracheid

/ trā′kē-ĭd,-kēd′ /

1. An elongated, water-conducting cell in xylem, one of the two kinds of tracheary elements. Tracheids have pits where the cell wall is modified into a thin membrane, across which water flows from tracheid to tracheid. The cells die when mature, leaving only their lignified cell walls. Tracheids are found in all vascular plants.
2. Compare vessel element

Derived Forms

• tracheidal, adjective

Other Words From

• tra·che·i·dal [tr, uh, -, kee, -i-dl, trey-kee-, ahyd, -l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tracheid¹

First recorded in 1870–75; trache(a) + -id ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of tracheid¹

C19: from trachea (in the sense: a vessel in a plant) + -id ²

Example Sentences

Water moves through small cylindrical conduits, called tracheids or vessels, that are all connected.

From Salon

This colored scanning electron micrograph shows a bundle of tracheids in a softwood toothpick.

From Scientific American

If during a drought air starts to creep into the tracheids from the roots, like a kid slurping up the dregs of a drink through a straw, the torus is pulled up against the aperture.

From Scientific American

The xylem tissue of most gymnosperms comprises a single water-transporting cell type, tracheids.

From Nature

The wood is characterized by the presence of vessels in addition to tracheids.

From Project Gutenberg