raphe noun. ['reɪfi] Pl. raphae ['reɪfi:]. Also raphé. M18.
[mod. Latin from Greek rhaphē seam, suture.]
1. Anatomy & Zoology. A groove, ridge, or seam in an organ or tissue, esp. one marking a line of fusion between two halves or parts; a median plane between two halves of a part of the brain, esp. that of the medulla oblongata and that of the tegmentum of the midbrain. M18.

2. Botany.
a. A longitudinal ridge in an anatropous ovule, representing the adherent funicle. M19.
b. A groove in the valve of many pennate diatoms, through which cytoplasmic streaming occurs which is believed to cause their motion. L19.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲