cirri

[ sir-ahy ]
/ ˈsɪr aɪ /

noun Botany, Zoology.

a plural of cirrus.

Words nearby cirri

cirque, cirrate, cirrhogenous, cirrhosis, cirrhus, cirri, cirri-, cirriform, cirriped, cirripede, cirro-

Definition for cirri (2 of 3)

cirrus
[ sir-uh s ]
/ ˈsɪr əs /

noun, plural cir·rus for 1, cir·ri [sir-ahy] /ˈsɪr aɪ/ for 2, 3.

Meteorology.
  1. a cloud of a class characterized by thin white filaments or narrow bands and a composition of ice crystals: of high altitude, about 20,000–40,000 feet (6000–12,000 meters).
  2. a cirriform cloud.
Botany. a tendril.
Zoology.
  1. a filament or slender appendage serving as a foot, tentacle, barbel, etc.
  2. the male copulatory organ of flatworms and various other invertebrates.

Origin of cirrus

1700–10; < Latin: a curl, tuft, plant filament like a tuft of hair

Definition for cirri (3 of 3)

cirri-

variant of cirro-.

Words related to cirri

clasp, coil, curl, ringlet

Example sentences from the Web for cirri

British Dictionary definitions for cirri (1 of 2)

cirri
/ (ˈsɪraɪ) /

noun

the plural of cirrus

British Dictionary definitions for cirri (2 of 2)

cirrus
/ (ˈsɪrəs) /

noun plural -ri (-raɪ)

meteorol a thin wispy fibrous cloud at high altitudes, composed of ice particles
a plant tendril or similar part
zoology
  1. a slender tentacle or filament in barnacles and other marine invertebrates
  2. a hairlike structure in other animals, such as a filament on the appendage of an insect or a barbel of a fish

Word Origin for cirrus

C18: from Latin: curl, tuft, fringe

Scientific definitions for cirri

cirrus
[ sîr′əs ]

Plural cirri (sîr′ī′)

A high-altitude cloud composed of feathery white patches or bands of ice crystals. Cirrus clouds generally form between 6,100 and 12,200 m (20,000 and 40,000 ft). See illustration at cloud.