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