glochidium
- noun
- /ɡloʊˈkɪdiəm/
- Specialized
- Some species of cacti are covered with tiny glochidia that can cause skin irritation.
Examples
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Be careful when handling prickly pears as their glochidia are easily detached and hard to remove.
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The biologist used tweezers to study the structure of a single glochidium under the microscope.
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The glochidium of the cactus can easily penetrate the skin.
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Many people are unaware of what a glochidium is.
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When walking through the desert, I accidentally brushed against a cactus and felt the sting of its tiny glochidia in my skin.
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The glochidia found on some cacti can easily detach when touched, making them tricky to handle.
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After getting poked by the glochidia of a cactus, I had to carefully remove the barbed spines from my hand.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A tiny sharp hair on cacti that sticks into your skin
How Sharp
Surface Forms
Etymology
Glochidium comes from the Greek word glochis meaning 'point' or 'barb' and the ending -idium which means 'little'. So a glochidium is literally a 'little point', a tiny barbed bristle on some cacti that can stick in your skin.