filiform

[ fil-uh-fawrm, fahy-luh- ]

adjective

1. threadlike; filamentous.

filiform

/ ˈfɪlɪˌfɔːm; ˈfaɪ- /

adjective

1. biology having the form of a thread

Word History and Origins

Origin of filiform¹

1750–60; < Latin fīl ( um ) a thread + -i- + -form

Word History and Origins

Origin of filiform¹

C18: from Latin fīlum thread

Example Sentences

Red whirls on this rabbit’s tongue are filiform papillae, which roughen the tongue and help move food around the mouth.

From New York Times

This enabled the AI tool to predict the type of papillae to within 85 per cent accuracy and to map the position of filiform and fungiform papillae on the tongue's surface.

From Science Daily

Antenn� linear, thickened in the middle, externally ciliated in the male, simple and filiform in the female, gradually ending in an arcuated, obtuse hook.

From Project Gutenberg

The slender embryo therefore is horseshoe-shaped; cotyledons filiform.—Flowers white, in small and loose axillary panicles.

From Project Gutenberg

Most of the bumps on the tongue’s surface are filiform papillae, which enable tactical sensation.

From Scientific American