hair follicle

noun

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

Examples of hair follicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An ingrown hair forms when a hair follicle becomes trapped under the skin, causing inflammation and irritation. — Loni Venti, Teen Vogue, "How To Get Rid of Ingrown Hair: 9 Tips to Heal Your Skin," 5 Oct. 2018 And while enjoying a quick snooze with an updo isn't likely to cause any major hair damage, experts have warned against sleeping with styles that pull on the hair, as this could potentially cause damage to hair follicles and prevent hair growth. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Lili Reinhart Shared What Her "Riverdale" Beauty Routine Makes "Impossible"," 3 Aug. 2018 That said, since plucking removes the hair follicle fully, which creates an opportunity for swelling and infection, trimming is usually preferable. — Jenn Sinrich, SELF, "Facial Hair Removal Guide: How to Remove Every Unwanted Hair From Your Face," 10 Oct. 2018 This can help wash away any bacteria that can upset the hair follicle. — Kara Wahlgren, Seventeen, "5 Things You Need to Know About Butt Pimples," 13 Sep. 2018 Presumably the harm inflicted here was limited exclusively to her own hair follicles. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Men "Brought Down" by the #MeToo Movement Are Back," 15 Aug. 2018 This is basically inflammation of the hair follicle. — Mona Gohara, Good Housekeeping, "7 Common Scalp Issues — And How to Treat Them," 31 July 2018 Alopecia is thought to be an autoimmune condition in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, and research suggests that both genetics and environmental factors play a role in developing it. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "7 People Describe What It's Really Like to Have Alopecia," 14 May 2018 No matter the formaldehyde content, on a basic level, keratin treatments dive into the hair follicle and inject porous areas with keratin, an essential hair protein. — Ashley Weatherford, The Cut, "The Everything Guide to Keratin Treatments," 15 May 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.

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Last Updated

14 Dec 2018

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The first known use of hair follicle was in 1838

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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