falciform

English

WOTD – 21 September 2010

Etymology

From Latin falx (“sickle”) +‎ -i- +‎ -form (“-shaped”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: fălʹsĭfôrm, IPA^(key): /ˈfæl.sɪ.fɔːm/, /ˈfɒl.sɪ.fɔːm/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfæl.sɪ.fɔɹm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

falciform (comparative more falciform, superlative most falciform)

1. Sickle-shaped.
   • 1922: James Joyce, Ulysses, page 627

     What announced the accomplishment of this rise in temperature?
     A double falciform ejection of water vapour from under the kettlelid at both sides simultaneously.

   • 2009, Nick Laird, Glover's Mistake:

     David realized he’d been unconsciously pushing his nails into his palms, leaving little red falciform marks.

Derived terms

• falciform cartilage (anatomy)
• falciformity (rare)
• falciform ligament (anatomy)
• falciform process (anatomy)

Related terms

Related terms

• falcade (horsemanship)
• falcate (anatomy, botany, and zoölogy)
  • falcated (astronomy; also, obsolete in botany and zoölogy)
• falcation (obsolete)
• falchion
  • case of falchions (sword-play, obsolete)
  • double falchion (sword-play, obsolete)
  • single falchion (sword-play, obsolete)
• falciferous (rare)
• falciparum (pathology)

• falcon
  • falconer
    • Grand Falconer
    • Great Falconer
  • falconet
  • falcon-eyed
  • falcon-face
  • falcon-fisher
  • falcon-flight
  • falcon-guise
  • falconish (rare)
  • falcon-like
  • falcon-nest
  • falcon shot

• falconet
• falcon-gentle
• falconine (zoölogy)
• falconry
• falculate

Translations

sickle-shaped

• Finnish: sirppimäinen
• French: falciforme (fr)
• Greek: δρεπανοειδής (el) m or f (drepanoeidís)
• Italian: falciforme (it)

• Portuguese: falciforme (pt)
• Russian: серповидный (ru) (serpovidnyj)
• Spanish: falciforme (es)

References

• “falciform, a.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]