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tomentum

tomentum

9.9
A layer of short soft hairs on a plant that makes it fuzzy
  • noun
  • /təˈmɛntəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tomentum
  • Many alpine plants develop a tomentum to protect themselves from cold and dehydration.

Examples

  • The leaves of the plant are covered with a thick tomentum that gives them a silvery sheen.

  • The tomentum is soft.

  • A peach's skin exhibits a fine tomentum, often referred to as peach fuzz.

  • This plant has tomentum.

  • The succulent plant has a thick layer of tomentum, giving it a soft and velvety texture.

  • Due to the dense tomentum on its stems, the plant felt fuzzy to the touch.

  • The fruit was covered in a fine tomentum, which protected it from harsh weather conditions.

Synonyms

fuzz
vstomentum
16 2.7

Fine soft hair that grows on skin or plants

is thicker, matted woolly hair forming a fuzzy, felted surface
indumentum
vstomentum
  • Specialized
9.9

A covering of fine hairs or scales found on plants and insects, for example on leaves and stems

is a denser, matted woolly layer rather than any fine covering

Compounds

tomentum cerebri
  • Specialized
9.9

A network of tiny blood vessels between the surface of the brain and its thin outer covering

How Dense

tomentum
  • Specialized
9.9
hairiness
1 2.5

Surface Forms

tomentum singular
tomenta plural

Etymology

Tomentum comes from the Latin tomentum, which meant 'wool' or 'padding'. Think of a plant wearing a little wool coat — that dense, short hair is like padding, so the plant's fuzzy covering is called tomentum.