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Glite Dictionary
laticifer

laticifer

9.9
A small tube in some plants that holds milky sap used to make rubber
  • noun
  • /ˈleɪtɪsɪfər/
  • Specialized
: laticífero
  • This is no mother's milk, however, but a latex exuded by specialized structures called laticifers that are found throughout the plant.

Examples

  • The presence of laticifers in a plant allows it to transport latex, which can be harvested for various uses.

  • Researchers studied the laticifers to understand how they help in the flow of latex within the plant.

  • Laticifers are essential for the production of rubber in plants like the rubber tree.

Surface Forms

laticifer singular
laticifers plural

Morphology

laticifer = latex (opaque) = latic + ifer

Although the parts reflect 'latex' + the Latin-derived suffix '-ifer' meaning 'bearing', the combining form and suffix are specialized and unfamiliar to average learners, so the full meaning is not derivable.

Etymology

The word laticifer comes from Latin parts: latic- meaning 'milk' (as in lactose) and -fer meaning 'to carry' (as in transfer). So a laticifer is a 'milk-carrier' in a plant, a special cell or tube that holds and moves the milky sap called latex.