trichome
- noun
- /ˈtrɪk.oʊm/
- Specialized
:
tricoma
- "Once we identify the switches and understand how they work," says Colby, "we may be able to change what is made in the trichomes."
- leaf trichomes
- trichomes secrete compounds
Examples
-
Other trichomes secrete compounds that may repel or poison insects.
Academic text (1994) -
This is significant because plants secrete compounds through their leaf hairs, or trichomes.
Academic text (1994) -
Researchers don't yet understand exactly how each different type of trichome works.
Academic text (1994) -
His 100x image shows a nettle's stinging hair, or trichome, filled with venom.
Blog text (8) -
She's hunting for the genetic switches that cue tomatoes to manufacture the aromatic compounds in trichomes.
Academic text (1994) -
These are trichomes (pronounced TRY-komes), tiny projections that have fascinated scientists for nearly a hundred years.
Academic text (1994) -
Scientists surmise that the sticky sugars emitted by some trichomes act like flypaper to catch unsuspecting insects.
Academic text (1994) -
Compounds produced by genetically engineered trichomes might someday give tomato plants more robust resistance to insect enemies like whiteflies or tomato hornworms.
Academic text (1994) -
In most species tested, a layer of leaf trichomes holds the dew droplets above the leaf surface, well beyond their focal distances, greatly reducing the potential damage of this focused sunlight to the photosynthetic system.
Academic text (1997) -
Bromeliads have trichomes on the surface of their leaves.
Synonyms
36
6.8
Fine soft threads on a plant's surface like the fuzz on a peach
Surface Forms
Morphology
trichome = trich + ome
The word is built from technical Greek combining forms ('trich-' meaning hair and the suffix '-ome'), which are not recognizable to an average B1 learner, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from familiar English base words.
Etymology
The word trichome comes from the Greek root trich- meaning 'hair', so you can think of a trichome as a tiny 'hair' on a leaf or stem. That's why trichomes are hairlike growths that protect the plant or help trap moisture.