1. A very slender natural or synthetic fibre
   "Collagen filaments provide strength to connective tissues";
   - fibril, strand
    
2. A threadlike structure (as a chainlike series of cells)
   "The filament terminale is a delicate strand of fibrous tissue at the end of the spinal cord";
   - filum
    
3. The stalk of a stamen
   "The long filaments of the spider lily give the flower its distinctive appearance"
    
4. A thin wire (usually tungsten) that is heated white hot by the passage of an electric current
   "The light bulb's filament glowed brightly when electricity passed through it"

Derived forms: filaments

Type of: anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, conducting wire, fiber [US], fibre [Brit, Cdn], stalk, stem, structure, wire

Part of: bulb, electric light, electric-light bulb, incandescent lamp, light bulb, light globe [Austral, NZ], lightbulb

Encyclopedia: Filament