n. 1. Anatomy a. A small bodily cavity or sac. b. A crypt or minute cul-de-sac or lacuna, such as the depression in the skin from which the hair emerges. c. An ovarian follicle. d. A spherical mass of cells usually containing a cavity. 2. Botany A dry, single-chambered fruit that splits along only one seam to release its seeds, as in larkspur and milkweed. [Latin folliculus, little bag, diminutive of follis, bellows; see bhel-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] ![]() (click for a larger image) folliclemilkweed follicle |
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