‖ tomentum
(təʊˈmɛntəm)
[L.: see above.]
1. Bot. The soft down or pubescence growing on the stems, leaves, or seeds of certain plants.
| 1699 Sloane in Phil. Trans. XXI. 115 Having very soft hairs, down, or tomentum, much longer in proportion to the Seed, then any tomentum I know. 1793 G. White Selborne (1853) 375 (Observ. Wild Bee) A sort of wild bee frequenting the garden-campion for the sake of its tomentum. 1866 Treas. Bot. s.v. Centaurea, Leaves clothed on both surfaces with a white silky tomentum. |
2. Anat. A downy covering or investment;
spec. the flocculent inner surface of the pia mater, consisting of numerous minute vessels entering the brain and spinal cord (in full
tomentum cerebri).
| 1811 in Hooper Med. Dict. 1841 Ramsbotham Obstetr. Med. (1855) 62 The ovum..is completely surrounded by a thick tomentum of minute filamentous, mossy villi. |
Hence
tomenˈtigerous,
tomenˈtitious,
toˈmentulose adjs.: see
quots.| 1860 Mayne Expos. Lex., Tomentiger.., Entom., having the body hairy or downy: *tomentigerous. |
| 1656 Blount Glossogr., *Tomentitious (tomentitius), made of flocks or wool. |
| 1895 Funk's Stand. Dict., *Tomentulose. 1900 B. D. Jackson Gloss. Bot. Terms 272 Tomentulose, slightly tomentose. |