hair follicle

noun

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Definition of hair follicle

: 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

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Recent Examples of hair follicle from the Web

The condition causes painful abscesses and boils to occur near hair follicles, such as the underarms and groin.

— allyson byers, SELF, "I Have a Rare, Chronic Skin Condition, and I Went to Questionable Lengths Looking for a Cure," 1 June 2018
And even though 147 million people worldwide have the condition (which occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your hair follicles), there isn’t much alopecia visibility out there.

— giorgina paiella, Allure, "Six Women Open Up About How Having Alopecia Changed Their Outlooks on Beauty," 17 May 2018
Bobby the leopard gecko can store water and food in his tail, while Chilly the chinchilla has up to 80 hairs in each hair follicle.

— sara cardine, latimes.com, "Preschoolers see – and hear – critters up close during wildlife visit," 17 May 2018
Published in the journal PLOS Biology, the research tested more than 40 samples of hair follicles from hair-transplant patients.

— casey quackenbush, Time, "This Osteoporosis Drug Has a Surprising Side-Effect. Scientists Say It Could Cure Baldness," 11 May 2018
After testing it on isolated hair follicles from a human scalp, scientists learned the compound promoted hair growth without the side effects.

— brett molina, USA TODAY, "An osteoporosis drug could hold cure for baldness," 9 May 2018
The cap will trap in steam that opens up hair follicles, so your hair will really soak in the good stuff in the treatment.

— jillian ruffo, Seventeen, "5 Insanely Easy Tips For The Softest Hair Of Your Life," 7 Nov. 2017
Deeper peels penetrate the dermis, a deeper layer of the skin which contains sweat glands, nerve endings, hair follicles, sebaceous glands and blood vessels.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The clinical advantage of chemical peels," 16 May 2018
Medical sources and activists in Syria said blood, urine and hair follicle samples were smuggled in batches to Turkey after rebel groups and their families were pushed out of the area by the Assad regime, CNN reported earlier on Friday.

— ryan browne, CNN, "Biological samples from Syria attack site test positive for chlorine and nerve agent, official says," 13 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of hair follicle

1838

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

hair follicle

noun

medical Definition of hair follicle

: 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