pellicle

[ pel-i-kuhl ]

noun

1. a thin skin or membrane; film; scum.
2. SCOBY ( def ).
3. Photography. a thin, partially reflective coating, as on a beam splitter or pellicle mirror.

pellicle

/ ˈpɛlɪkəl; pɛˈlɪkjʊlə /

noun

1. a thin skin or film
2. the hard protective outer layer of certain protozoans, such as those of the genus Paramecium
3. botany
   1. the thin outer layer of a mushroom cap
   2. a growth on the surface of a liquid culture
4. photog the thin layer of emulsion covering a plate, film, or paper

Derived Forms

• pellicular, adjective

Other Words From

• pel·lic·u·lar [p, uh, -, lik, -y, uh, -ler], pel·lic·u·late [p, uh, -, lik, -y, uh, -lit, -leyt], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pellicle¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin pellicul(a), equivalent to pelli(s) “skin” + -cula noun suffix ( -cle ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of pellicle¹

C16: via French from Latin pellicula, from pellis skin

Example Sentences

Lovers of home-brewed kombucha may actually be familiar with the raw nanocellulose material — it forms as a floating off-white structure called a pellicle.

From Salon

Before smoking, refrigerate the cheese uncovered the night before so it develops a "pellicle" — that sticky surface to which the smoke will adhere.

From Los Angeles Times

"We are acquainted with a mere pellicle of the globe on which we live," writes Thoreau, "We know not where we are."

From The Guardian

Young resembling parents, but penultimate instar passive and enclosed in a filmy pellicle.

From Project Gutenberg

On inspecting the fauces to discover the cause we observe a pellicle forming over the tonsils and perhaps other portions of the faucial surface.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fur
• leather
• skin
• wool