follicle

noun

fol·li·cle | \ˈfä-li-kəl

Definition of follicle

1a : a small anatomical cavity or deep narrow-mouthed depression

b : a small lymph node

c : a vesicle in the mammalian ovary that contains a developing egg surrounded by a covering of cells especially : graafian follicle

2 : a dry dehiscent one-celled many-seeded fruit (as of the milkweed) that has a single carpel and opens along one suture

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Examples of follicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Next, she and her colleagues plan to push the limits of follicle development in their artificial ovary. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "How Artificial Ovaries Could Expand Fertility Options For Chemo Patients," 5 July 2018 But this scalp massage strengthens that follicle, which in turn strengthens the hairs that grow from it. — Adam Hurly, GQ, "Here's How to Fix Your Dry, Itchy Scalp," 15 June 2018 The Australian study, published in JAMA, included 824 women planning to undergo I.V.F. Half received acupuncture and half sham acupuncture a week before follicle stimulation and then again before and after transfer of the embryo. — Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times, "Acupuncture Does Not Improve Pregnancy Rates," 17 May 2018 Hypothalamic hypogonadism: This condition happens when your ovaries produce little or no gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH), according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. — Korin Miller, SELF, "How Long Does a Period Last, Normally?," 17 May 2018 The pigment in the follicles absorbs the light and that destroys the hair. — Chloe Malle, Vogue, "Laser Hair Removal: Is It Really Worth It?," 2 May 2018 They are known to cause dormant follicles to resume hair production, and maintain the new hair. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hair regrowth treatment now being tested in women by La Jolla's Histogen," 12 July 2018 Those short hairs, sticking straight up from their follicles, may even appear coarser. — Dina Fine Maron, Scientific American, "Fact or Fiction?: If You Shave (or Wax), Your Hair Will Come Back Thicker," 26 Aug. 2014 Pors then seeded this scaffold with immature human or mouse follicles and grafted the complex into female mice. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "How Artificial Ovaries Could Expand Fertility Options For Chemo Patients," 5 July 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near follicle

follicle-stimulating hormone

follicular hormone

Statistics for follicle

Last Updated

14 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for follicle

The first known use of follicle was in 1646

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More Definitions for follicle

follicle

noun

English Language Learners Definition of follicle

: a tiny hole in the skin from which a hair grows

See the full definition for follicle in the English Language Learners Dictionary

follicle

noun

fol·li·cle | \ˈfäl-i-kəl

Medical Definition of follicle

1 : a small anatomical cavity or deep narrow-mouthed depression especially : a small simple or slightly branched gland : crypt

2 : a small lymph node

3 : a vesicle in the mammalian ovary that contains a developing egg surrounded by a covering of cells : ovarian follicle especially : graafian follicle