caruncle
noun
car·un·cle
ˈker-ˌəŋ-kəl 
ˈka-ˌrəŋ-,
kə-ˈrəŋ-
1
: a naked fleshy outgrowth (such as a bird's wattle)
2
: an outgrowth on a seed adjacent to the micropyle (see micropyle sense 1)
Examples of caruncle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Center the fiber-optic front barrel bead (or crosshair or dot of an optic) just above the major caruncles, those fleshy, gaudy, beautiful red bubbles on the base of a gobbler’s neck.
—
Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 20 Apr. 2020
Here’s another fun fact: Male turkeys, called toms, have bald, featherless heads with all sorts of dangling skin flaps and knobs known as the snood, the wattle and caruncles.
—Jason Bittel, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2019
In the developing embryo, the beak originates near the caruncle and then gradually expands backward.
—Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2017
Beaked groups like birds and turtles have caruncles, but snakes and nearly all lizards do not.
—Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2017
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Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 20 Apr. 2020
Here’s another fun fact: Male turkeys, called toms, have bald, featherless heads with all sorts of dangling skin flaps and knobs known as the snood, the wattle and caruncles.
—Jason Bittel, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2019
In the developing embryo, the beak originates near the caruncle and then gradually expands backward.
—Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2017
Beaked groups like birds and turtles have caruncles, but snakes and nearly all lizards do not.
—Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2017
Dictionary Entries Near caruncle
Cite this Entry
“Caruncle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caruncle. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
caruncle
noun
car·un·cle
ˈkar-əŋ-kəl
kə-ˈrəŋ-
kə-ˈrəŋ-
: a small fleshy growth
specifically
: a reddish growth situated at the urethral meatus in women and causing pain and bleeding see lacrimal caruncle
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