hair follicle

noun

: the tubular epithelial sheath that surrounds the lower part of the hair shaft and encloses at the bottom a vascular papilla supplying the growing basal part of the hair with nourishment see hair illustration

Examples of hair follicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s just a fancy way of saying that melanin in the hair follicle absorbs the laser energy. —Aimee Simeon, Allure, 3 June 2026

Some also stimulate hair follicles with ingredients such as caffeine and cayenne. —Ariel Wodarcyk, Glamour, 29 May 2026

This shifts hair follicles from regressing into active growth. —Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 28 May 2026

If the source of the DNA is a hair sample, any full hair follicles that include the root would be much more likely to contain high-quality DNA than just a strand of hair. —Anna Schecter, CBS News, 12 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hair follicle

• diabolical
• symbolical

Kids Definition

hair follicle

noun

: the tube-shaped sheath surrounding the lower part of a hair shaft

Medical Definition

hair follicle

noun

: the tubular epithelial sheath that surrounds the lower part of the hair shaft and encloses at the bottom a vascular papilla supplying the growing basal part of the hair with nourishment