Main Entry: fil·a·ment

Pronunciation: \ˈfi-lə-mənt\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle French, from Medieval Latin filamentum, from Late Latin filare to spin — more at file

Date: 1594

: a single thread or a thin flexible threadlike object, process, or appendage: as a : a tenuous conductor (as of carbon or metal) made incandescent by the passage of an electric current; specifically : a cathode in the form of a metal wire in an electron tube b (1) : a thin and fine elongated constituent part of a gill (2) : an elongated thin series of cells attached one to another or a very long thin cylindrical single cell (as of some algae, fungi, or bacteria) c : the anther-bearing stalk of a stamen — see flower illustration

— fil·a·men·ta·ry \ˌfil-ə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē\ adjective

— fil·a·men·tous \-ˈmen-təs\ adjective