torulose
- adjective
- /ˈtɔːr.ju.loʊs/
- Specialized
- The fungus has torulose hyphae that alternate between swollen and narrow sections.
Examples
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Under the microscope, the bacteria appeared torulose, with periodic enlargements along their length.
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The botanist observed a torulose stem on the unusual plant specimen.
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The torulose stem of the plant caught my attention.
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Is this a torulose structure or a regular one?
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The botanist observed a torulose stem on the unusual plant specimen.
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The fungus has torulose hyphae that alternate between swollen and narrow sections.
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Under the microscope, the bacteria appeared torulose, with periodic enlargements along their length.
How Bumpy
Surface Forms
Morphology
torulose = torul + ose
Although analyzable historically as torul- + -ose, these elements are not productive or familiar to average learners, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from the parts.
Etymology
Torulose comes from the Latin words torus and the small form torulus, which mean 'swelling' or 'bulge'. So think of a stem like a string of beads with repeated swollen and narrow parts, which is exactly why torulose describes something swollen and constricted at intervals.