Meaning of hilum in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈhaɪləm/

    US accent Play button

    UK accent Play button

  1. Noun

    hilum

    Etymology

    mid 17th century (in the Latin sense): from Latin, literally ‘little thing, trifle’, once thought to mean ‘that which sticks to a bean’, hence the current sense (mid 18th century)

    Definitions

    1. (anatomy) a depression or fissure where vessels or nerves or ducts enter a bodily organ

    Examples

    • « the hilus of the kidney »
  2. 2. the scar on certain seeds marking its point of attachment to the funicle

Browse dictionary