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

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Instead, Day suggests swapping your body scrub for a Clarisonic facial brush and a salicylic acid cleanser, like Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Body Wash, which has 2 percent salicylic acid to penetrate follicles and chamomile to soothe skin. — Chloe Metzger, Allure, "How to Treat Keratosis Pilaris (aka "Chicken Skin") on the Back of Your Arms," 31 Oct. 2018 Proteins from shark cartilage prolong the hair growth cycle while nourishing follicles and scalp. — Meg Storm, Town & Country, "These Hair Multipliers Say They Can Turn You Into Rapunzel," 28 Aug. 2015 These alter your skin's pH level to loosen hairs from the follicles. — Cristina Mueller, Redbook, "Q& Triple A: I have little hairs around my chin and upper lip. Help!," 10 Jan. 2011 Between days five and seven of your cycle, as your period wraps up, just one follicle continues to grow, and the others are absorbed back into your ovaries. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Is There Any Reliable Way to Make Your Period Come Faster?," 11 July 2018 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

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

25 Nov 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