caruncle
9.9
A small soft growth on a bird or on a seed, like a turkey's wattle
- noun
- /ˈkɛrʌŋkəl/
- Specialized
:
carúncula
- A small caruncle at the seed's hilum helps in its germination process.
Examples
-
Birds often use their caruncles for mating displays and attracting partners.
-
The bright red caruncles on the Muscovy duck's face make it stand out among other birds.
-
Of the ocular adnexae, the caruncle is the favorite site for oncocytoma; however, conjunctival oncocytomas have also been described.
Academic text (1995)
Synonyms
9.9
A small soft growth on animals and plants, like a bird's wattle or a seed base
is the identical meaning but written in an alternate form
Surface Forms
Etymology
Caruncle comes from the Latin caruncula, which means 'small piece of flesh', and that comes from caro 'flesh'. So a caruncle is literally a tiny bit of flesh or fleshy bump—like the red bumps on a turkey or a small bump on a seed—and you can remember the root by thinking of carnivore ('meat eater').
