Fibril
/ˈfaɪbrɪl/noun
A very small fiber or threadlike structure, especially in anatomy or materials science.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to Latin *fibra*, a term for a thread or filament, and its whole family shows how language often grows by imagining the body and the world as woven material.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰeh₁-
“to put, set, do”
Latin
Latin
fibra
“a fiber, filament, or thread-like strand”
Late Latin
Latin
fibrilla
“a little fiber; a small thread”
16th Century
English
fibril
“a tiny fiber or filament”
Modern English
English
fibril
“a very small fiber or threadlike structure”
Explore more surprising origins