filament

noun fil·a·ment \ ˈfi-lə-mənt \

|Updated on: 6 Jul 2018

Definition of filament

: a single thread or a thin flexible threadlike object, process, or appendage (see appendage 2): such as

a : a tenuous (see tenuous 2) conductor (as of carbon or metal) made incandescent by the passage of an electric current; specifically : a cathode (see cathode 2) in the form of a metal wire in an electron tube

b (1) : a thin and fine elongated constituent part of a gill (see ²gill 1)

(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

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filamentary

play \ˌfi-lə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē\ adjective

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filamentous

play \ˌfi-lə-ˈmen-təs\ adjective

See filament defined for English-language learners

See filament defined for kids

Examples of filament in a Sentence

algae covered with tiny filaments
the cable was made up of fine filaments twisted together

Recent Examples of filament from the Web

The factory in question produces wound-filament airframes and nozzles for engines used in solid-fuel missiles, particularly the Pukguksong series of rockets, the report said.

— Time, "Satellite Images Show North Korea Is Expanding a Missile-Manufacturing Plant, a Report Finds," 2 July 2018
Many property owners have crisscrossed filament over their roofs, for example, or owl statues meant to scare the birds off.

— billy baker, BostonGlobe.com, "The gull next door: Some Gloucester residents can’t stand all the seabirds," 19 June 2018
Andrew Penketh Andrew Penketh Not all filament bulbs are created equal, though.

— liz stinson, Curbed, "Plumen makes a pair of not-so-tired Edison bulbs," 20 Mar. 2018
The beautiful clock charges via USB and is remote controlled, yet displays time in a Nixie Tube—an old-fashioned cathode tube with neon filaments.

— john wenz, Popular Mechanics, "This Retro Cathode Ray Tube Clock Is Powered by USB," 13 Feb. 2015
And much is lost through the use of inefficient devices, like incandescent light bulbs that heat up a filament to produce light.

— david roberts, Vox, "This technology could fundamentally change our relationship to electricity," 5 June 2018
To find out why, Hu and colleagues used a hair-thin nylon filament to apply a precise amount of pressure to a patch of shaved skin on young and old rodents’ necks.

— emily underwood, Science | AAAS, "Why getting old gives you itchy skin," 3 May 2018
Another bomb, which police said was more sophisticated, used a tripwire—typically made of a thin filament or fishing line—rigged to an explosive device.

— dan frosch, WSJ, "Why Homemade Bombs Are Easy to Make and Hard to Trace," 21 Mar. 2018
Those filaments could have shaped the direction in which matter accreted onto these galaxies’ haloes, some scientists say.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "New observations of galaxies challenge the standard cosmological model," 1 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'filament.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of filament

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1594

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

filament Synonyms

Synonyms

bristle, fiber, hair, thread;

Related Words

microfiber;

cord, rope, string, wire, yarn;

fuzz, tuft;

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

FILAMENT Defined for English Language Learners

filament

noun

Definition of filament for English Language Learners

: a thin thread or hair
: a thin wire in a light bulb that glows when electricity passes through it

FILAMENT Defined for Kids

filament

noun fil·a·ment \ ˈfi-lə-mənt \

Definition of filament for Students

1 : a fine thread

a filament of silk

2 : a fine wire (as in a light bulb) that is made to glow by the passage of an electric current

3 : the stalk of a plant stamen that bears the anther

Medical Dictionary

filament

noun fil·a·ment \ ˈfil-ə-mənt \

medical Definition of filament

: a single thread or a thin flexible threadlike object, process, or appendage; especially : 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)

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