lanugo

[ luh-noo-goh, -nyoo- ]
/ ləˈnu goʊ, -ˈnyu- /

noun, plural la·nu·gos. Biology.

a coat of delicate, downy hairs, especially that with which the human fetus or a newborn infant is covered.

Origin of lanugo

1670–80; < Latin lānūgō wooliness, down, derivative of lāna wool

Example sentences from the Web for lanugo

  • Man comes into the world covered almost entirely with lanugo or short fine hair.

    The Races of Man |Joseph Deniker
  • I have included the down on the human body and the lanugo on the foetus as a rudimentary representation of a hairy coat.

British Dictionary definitions for lanugo

lanugo
/ (ləˈnjuːɡəʊ) /

noun plural -gos

a layer of fine hairs, esp the covering of the human fetus before birth

Derived forms of lanugo

lanuginous (ləˈnjuːdʒɪnəs) or lanuginose, adjective lanuginousness, noun

Word Origin for lanugo

C17: from Latin: down, from lāna wool

Medical definitions for lanugo

lanugo
[ lə-nōōgō, ]

n. pl. la•nu•gos

The fine, soft hair that grows on a fetus and is present on a newborn. lanugo hair

Scientific definitions for lanugo

lanugo
[ lə-nōōgō ]

A covering of fine, soft hair or hairlike structures, as on a leaf, insect, or human fetus.