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 furrow2 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