Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Biology One of two spiral bands of tissue in an egg that connect the yolk to the lining membrane at either end of the shell.
- noun Botany The region of an ovule that is opposite the micropyle, where the integuments and nucellus are joined.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In botany, that part of the ovule or seed where the integuments cohere with each other and with the nucleus. It is the true base of the seed, but corresponds to the hilum or scar only in some cases.
- noun In zoology, one of the two albuminous twisted cords which bind the yolk-bag of an egg to the lining membrane at the two ends of the shell, and keep it near the middle as it floats in the albumen, so that the cicatricula or germinating point is always uppermost, and consequently nearest the source of heat during the process of incubation. Also called
pullet-sperm and treadle. - noun Same as
chalazion .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Bot.) The place on an ovule, or seed, where its outer coats cohere with each other and the nucleus.
- noun (Biol.) A spiral band of thickened albuminous substance which exists in the white of the bird's egg, and serves to maintain the yolk in its position; the treadle.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun zoology A
spiral band which attaches to theyolk of an egg, suspending it in thewhite - noun botany The location where the
nucellus attaches to theinteguments , opposite themicropyle .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun one of two spiral bands of tissue connecting the egg yolk to the enclosing membrane at either end of the shell
- noun basal part of a plant ovule opposite the micropyle; where integument and nucellus are joined
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I have been thinking that the apparent opening at the chalaza end must have been withering or perhaps gnawing by some very minute insects, as the ovarium is open at the upper end.
More Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2 Charles Darwin 1845
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In two ovules there was an odd appearance, as if the outer coat of ovule at the chalaza end (if I understand the ovule) had naturally opened or withered where most of the pollen-tubes seemed to penetrate, which made me at first think this was a widely open foramen.
More Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2 Charles Darwin 1845
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But here is an odd thing: they never once enter at (what I suppose to be) the "orifice," but generally at the chalaza ...
More Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2 Charles Darwin 1845
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If you are very picky, you will want to remove the chalaza.
Latest Articles 2009
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The chalaza is composed of one or two spiral bands of tissue that suspend the yolk in the center of the white.
Latest Articles 2009
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The chalaza is composed of one or two spiral bands of tissue that suspend the yolk in the center of the white.
Latest Articles 2009
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If you are very picky, you will want to remove the chalaza.
Latest Articles 2009
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The entrance of pollen-tubes into the nucellus by the chalaza, instead of through the micropyle, was first fully demonstrated by Treub in his paper "Sur les
More Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2 Charles Darwin 1845
fbharjo commented on the word chalaza
Old Slavic zledica frozen rain, Persian zhaala hail. Either of a pair of spiral bands of thickened albuminous substance in the white of a bird's egg that extend out from opposite sides of the yolk to the ends of the egg and are there attached to the lining membrane.
September 1, 2009