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caruncle

Pronunciation: /ˈka.ɹəŋ.kəl/

The English word “caruncle” has 2 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A small, fleshy excrescence that is a normal part of an animal's anatomy.
  2. A colored waxy or oily outgrowth near the micropyle of some seeds, attractive to ants which aid the seed's dispersal.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French caruncule, from Latin caruncula (“a little piece of flesh”), diminutive of carō (“flesh”). Doublet of caruncula.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.