Dictionary

filament en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɪləmənt/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-der. Proto-Italic *fī(s)lom Latin fīlum Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Late Latin fīlō Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-mentom Latin -mentum Medieval Latin fīlāmentumbor. English filament Borrowed from Medieval Latin fīlāmentum, from Late Latin fīlō (“to spin, draw out in a long line”), from Latin fīlum (“thread”).

Meanings

1. A fine thread or wire.
2. Such a wire, as can be heated until it glows, in an incandescent light bulb or a thermionic valve.
   • Lighting was unimaginative for the standard stock with naked tungsten filament bulbs and metal reflectors. However, all compartments had individual reading lights above the seats with attractive glass shades. 1979 August, Graham Burtenshaw, Michael S. Welch, “O.V.S. Bulleid's SR loco-hauled coaches - 1”, in Railway World, page 398:
3. A massive, thread-like structure, such as those gaseous ones which extend outward from the surface of the sun, or such as those (much larger) ones which form the boundaries between large voids in the universe.
   • the Ursa Major Filament
   • solar filament
   • galaxy filament
4. The stalk of a flower stamen, supporting the anther.
5. A continuous object, limited in length only by its spool, and not cut to length.
6. (qualifier:3D printing) A continuous object, limited in length only by its spool, and not cut to length. ▸ A spool of plastic used as a material for 3D-printed objects.

Forms

Deriveds

galaxy filament · intermediate filament · filamentary · filamentiferous · macrofilament · myofilament · polyfilament · microfilament · interfilament · melanofilament · nanofilament · granulofilament · filamenting · filamin · filamentless · solar filament · superfilament · neurofilament · filamenteous · monofilament · tonofilament · filament tape · filamentoid · filament of galaxies · homofilament · sebaceous filament · multifilament · sliding filament model · vortex filament · filamentlike · biofilament · cofilament · filamented · heterofilament · protofilament · pseudofilament · filamentation · nonfilament · filamental · filamentous · minifilament · nucleofilament

Translations (71)

ko 필라멘트 (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · fi hehkulanka (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · fi palho (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · fr filament (fine thread or wire) · de Faser (fine thread or wire) · es filamento (fine thread or wire) · nb filament (fine thread or wire) · la fibra (fine thread or wire) · ru волокно́ (continuous object, limited in length only by its spool) · ko 선조 (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · ba сүс (fine thread or wire) · hu porzószál (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · cs drátek (fine thread or wire) · ja 花糸 (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · ru волокно́ (fine thread or wire) · mi kakawaea (fine thread or wire) · gv faast (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · pl żarnik (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · he חוט להט (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · gl filamento (fine thread or wire) · fi säie (fine thread or wire) · cmn 纖維 /纤维 (fine thread or wire) · ru волосо́к (fine thread or wire) · ru волосо́к (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · th ก้านชูอับเรณู (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · de Glühwendel (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · mi waea rauangi (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · it filamento (fine thread or wire) · sv glödtråd (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · cmn 花絲 /花丝 (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · it filamento (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · nn filament (fine thread or wire) · bg влакно́ (continuous object, limited in length only by its spool) · bg жи́чка (fine thread or wire) · da støvtråd (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · fr filament (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · da tråd (fine thread or wire) · pt filamento (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · nn filament (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · cs nitka (fine thread or wire) · tl walidwid (fine thread or wire) · ru нить нака́ла (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · es brenca (fine thread or wire) · ja フィラメント (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · gl filamento (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · ru нить (fine thread or wire) · nb filament (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · mi kakawaea (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · ota ایپلك (fine thread or wire) · hu szál (fine thread or wire) · bg ни́шка (fine thread or wire) · hu izzószál (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · ja 繊維 (fine thread or wire) · ru тычи́ночная нить (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · gl filamento (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · da fiber (fine thread or wire) · es filamento (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · da glødetråd (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · cmn 燈絲 /灯丝 (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · ru спира́ль (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · pt filamento (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · bg жи́чка (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · cs vlákno (wire in an incandescent light bulb) · pt filamento (fine thread or wire) · hu rost (fine thread or wire) · mi kaka (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · mi waea rauangi (fine thread or wire) · sa अंशु (fine thread or wire) · fi kuitu (fine thread or wire) · is frjóþráður (stalk of a stamen in a flower) · sv ståndarsträng (stalk of a stamen in a flower)