filament

[ fil-uh-muh nt ]

/ ˈfɪl ə mənt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR filament ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a very fine thread or threadlike structure; a fiber or fibril: filaments of gold.

a single fibril of natural or synthetic textile fiber, of indefinite length, sometimes several miles long.

a long slender cell or series of attached cells, as in some algae and fungi.

Botany. the stalklike portion of a stamen, supporting the anther.

Ornithology. the barb of a down feather.

(in a light bulb or other incandescent lamp) the threadlike conductor, often of tungsten, in the bulb that is heated to incandescence by the passage of current.

Electronics. the heating element (sometimes also acting as a cathode) of a vacuum tube, resembling the filament in an incandescent bulb.

Astronomy. a solar prominence, as viewed within the sun's limb.

Origin of filament

1585–95; < New Latin fīlāmentum, equivalent to Late Latin fīlā(re) to wind thread, spin (see file¹) + Latin -mentum -ment

OTHER WORDS FROM filament

fil·a·ment·ed, adjective

Words nearby filament

fijian, fikh, fil, filaceous, filagree, filament, filamentary, filamentous, filar, filaria, filarial

Example sentences from the Web for filament

The B voltage gives the plate a positive charge to attract electrons from the filament.

Whatever Happened to the "B" Battery? |Megan McArdle |December 21, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
When you connect the A battery, the filament of the tube is heated to release negatively charged electrons.

Whatever Happened to the "B" Battery? |Megan McArdle |December 21, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Electrons travel through the partial vacuum inside the tube, flowing from the filament to the positively charged plate.

Whatever Happened to the "B" Battery? |Megan McArdle |December 21, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Many tubes also have small structures, known as grids, between the filament and the plate.

Whatever Happened to the "B" Battery? |Megan McArdle |December 21, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

There is no oxygen to combine with the filament; so the lamp does not burn out.

Common Science |Carleton W. Washburne
The filament can be instantly burned out by passing a current of too high pressure through it.

Things a Boy Should Know About Electricity |Thomas M. (Thomas Matthew) St. John
The filament of an electric lamp is very fine and therefore offers considerable resistance.

Common Science |Carleton W. Washburne
That is all right, but while they were away the grid got some electrons from the filament to take their places.

Letters of a Radio-Engineer to His Son |John Mills
The audion is a glass bulb like an electric light bulb which has in it a thread, or filament, of metal.

Letters of a Radio-Engineer to His Son |John Mills

British Dictionary definitions for filament

filament

/ (ˈfɪləmənt) /

noun

the thin wire, usually tungsten, inside a light bulb that emits light when heated to incandescence by an electric current

electronics a high-resistance wire or ribbon, forming the cathode in some valves

a single strand of a natural or synthetic fibre; fibril

botany

the stalk of a stamen
any of the long slender chains of cells into which some algae and fungi are divided

ornithol the barb of a down feather

anatomy any slender structure or part, such as the tail of a spermatozoon; filum

astronomy

a long structure of relatively cool material in the solar corona
a long large-scale cluster of galaxies

Derived forms of filament

filamentary (ˌfɪləˈmɛntərɪ, -trɪ) or filamentous, adjective

Word Origin for filament

C16: from New Latin fīlāmentum, from Medieval Latin fīlāre to spin, from Latin fīlum thread

Medical definitions for filament

filament

[ fĭl′ə-mənt ]

n.

A fibril, fine fiber, or threadlike structure.

Other words from filament

fil′a•men′tous (-mĕn′təs) null adj.

Scientific definitions for filament

filament

[ fĭl′ə-mənt ]

A fine or slender thread, wire, or fiber.

The part of a stamen that supports the anther of a flower; the stalk of a stamen. See more at flower.

A fine wire that gives off radiation when an electric current is passed through it, usually to provide light, as in an incandescent bulb, or to provide heat, as in a vacuum tube.
A wire that acts as the cathode in some electron tubes when it is heated with an electric current.

Any of the dark, sinuous lines visible through certain filters on the disk of the Sun. Filaments are solar prominences that are viewed against the solar surface rather than being silhouetted along the outer edges of the disk. See more at prominence.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

filament

noun

Origin of filament

OTHER WORDS FROM filament

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Example sentences from the Web for filament

British Dictionary definitions for filament

noun

Derived forms of filament

Word Origin for filament

Medical definitions for filament

n.

Other words from filament

Scientific definitions for filament

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

filament

noun

Origin of filament

OTHER WORDS FROM filament

Words nearby filament

Words related to filament

Example sentences from the Web for filament

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for filament

noun

Derived forms of filament

Word Origin for filament

Medical definitions for filament

n.

Other words from filament

Scientific definitions for filament

British Dictionary definitions for filament