Main Entry: ra·phe

Pronunciation: \ˈrā-(ˌ)fē\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin, from Greek rhaphē seam, from rhaptein to sew

Date: circa 1753

1 : the seamlike union of the two lateral halves of a part or organ (as the tongue) having externally a ridge or furrow
2 a : the part of the stalk of an anatropous ovary that is united in growth to the outside covering and forms a ridge along the body of the ovule b : the median line or slit of the valve of certain diatoms