filament

filament

1. the thin wire, usually tungsten, inside a light bulb that emits light when heated to incandescence by an electric current

2. Electronics a high-resistance wire or ribbon, forming the cathode in some valves

3. a single strand of a natural or synthetic fibre; fibril

4. Botany

a. the stalk of a stamen

b. any of the long slender chains of cells into which some algae and fungi are divided

5. Ornithol the barb of a down feather

6. Anatomy any slender structure or part, such as the tail of a spermatozoon; filum

7. Astronomy

a. a long structure of relatively cool material in the solar corona

b. a long large-scale cluster of galaxies

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Filament

A very thin tungsten wire inside an incandescent light. When heated, it glows and emits light.

Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

filament

[′fil·ə·mənt]

(astronomy)

A prominence, seen as a dark marking on the solar disk.

(botany)

The stalk of a stamen which supports the anther.

A chain of cells joined end to end, as in certain algae.

(electricity)

Metallic wire or ribbon which is heated in an incandescent lamp to produce light, by passing an electric current through the filament.

(electronics)

A cathode made of resistance wire or ribbon, through which an electric current is sent to produce the high temperature required for emission of electrons in a thermionic tube. Also known as directly heated cathode; filamentary cathode; filament-type cathode.

(invertebrate zoology)

A single silk fiber in the cocoon of a silkworm.

(metallurgy)

A long, flexible metal wire drawn very fine.

(science and technology)

A long, flexible object with a small cross section.

(textiles)

A single continuous manufactured fiber which is extruded from a spinneret and joined with others to make a thread.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

filament

An incandescent lamp filament whose form and construction are designated by a letter: S, straight wire; C, coil; CC, coiled coil.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.